JOIN USGujarat govt forms panel of doctors to revamp health care system
The Gujarat government has formed an expert committee of doctors to help it in formulating strategies to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and revamp the state's health care system, an official said on Wednesday.
The step comes at a time when the COVID-19 death rate in Gujarat is double than the national average.
The state is at the fourth position in the country in a number of COVID-19 cases, and the Gujarat High Court recently expressed concern over the health care conditions at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital.
"The chief minister has formed an expert committee of doctors to guide the government in formulating and implementing strategies and supervise the health care system, an official in the Chief Ministers Office said.
The panel will give suggestions to the state government on revamping the public health system, overall health facilities, and treatment protocol, he said.
The committee will have eight top private doctors of the state as its members, while state principal secretary (health) Jayanti Ravi will be its convener, a statement from the Chief Minister's Office said.
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, who also holds charge of the health department, held a meeting with the expert panel on Tuesday.
The COVID-19 death rate in Gujarat is 6.19 per cent as compared to 2.8 per cent of the country.
In the state's worst affected Ahmedabad city, the death rate is as high as seven per cent.
Till Tuesday, the count of coronavirus cases in Gujarat was 17,632 and the death toll was 1,092.
Out of these statistics, Ahmedabad has so far reported 12,773 cases and 888 fatalities.
The Gujarat government earlier appointed a committee headed by former Union finance secretary Hasmukh Adhia to revive the state's economy which has been badly hit due to the coronavirus-enforced lockdown.