Fri. Mar 29th, 2024
CIISource-Amarujala

CII President, Uday Kotak has pleaded to the authorities for a nationwide Lockdown as the country is struggling badly with the rise in Coronavirus cases. He has urged them to take the “strongest national steps” and to bring economic activity at halt to save lives in the country as the surging coronavirus cases  have overwhelmed the healthcare system and it has collapsed.

The rate of new infections have dipped marginally on Sunday but the death rate is increasing which is a cause of worry. Health ministry data show that after crossing 4 lakh cases on April 30, the number of daily new cases have dropped marginally to 3,92,488 and 3,68,147 on May 1 and May 2, respectively.

Mr Kotak expressed his grief and urgency by saying that ,”At this critical juncture when the toll of lives is rising, CII urges the strongest national steps including curtailing economic activity to reduce suffering.”

Uday Kotak, Managing Director of Kotak Mahindra Bank, said  in a statement that a “maximal response measure at the highest level is called for to cut the transmission links”, as building healthcare infrastructure will take time.

Kotak, in a statement issued by CII, highly praised  healthcare and frontline workers for “giving their best shot to tackle the influx of patients”. But he said that it is not enough to “manage the escalating caseloads with the medical talent available”.

Kotak urged the Government by stating, “We must heed expert advice on this subject – from India and abroad. Highest response measures are needed to break the chain of contagion and to rapidly build up capacity”.

“Given the current pandemic situation, safeguarding lives is of utmost priority and a nationwide maximal response measure at the highest level is called for to cut the transmission links. The healthcare infrastructure and supply build-up are being undertaken on an emergency basis by the governments at the Centre and states, but will take time. At this critical juncture when the toll is rising, CII urges the strongest national steps, including curtailing economic activity, to reduce suffering,” he further explained.

Kotak said in a statement, “Our maxim should be ‘no one is safe, unless everyone is safe”.

The CII further advised, “Offer training through short courses through the Healthcare Sector Skill Council. It suggested that NRIs working abroad as doctors and nurses can be brought back home for a national cause for a brief period”.

CII asked the centre to launch a Central Asset Mapping team who will monitor the supply of critical care items as well as predict the shortcomings and suggestions to preemptively enhance states’ capacities. “Shortages may be made known to the industry ,”CII added.

CII further provided more suggestions which included making logistics more strengthened to distribute supplies to the affected districts in time. He added that There should be road corridors with minimal state border delays for supplying drugs and oxygen on a continuous basis to districts where requirements are high. “The Railways should also be utilised”, CII further said.

CII also advised that Transport arrangements for oxygen supplies to nearby factories is critical. The CII also asked the Centre to scale up the rural and urban testing.

CII advised the centre to make temporary medical facilities with armed forces and other paramilitary forces, using existing infrastructure facilities like school and college premises, sheds, parks with tents, etc. as COVID-19 care facilities.

 

By Harshita Sharma

I bring to you updates from business, policy and economy spectrum.