IMA and Himanta clash over Covid management

The Indian Medical Association(IMA), Assam, the umbrella body of doctors of Assam  and the Assam Health Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sharma have clashed on Covid management.

The IMA urged Government of Assam to allow home treatment for the mild and asymptomatic patient something Dr Sharma brushed aside insisting that Covid positive patients must be in the hospital and Covid centres.

This has infuriated the doctor community in Assam as their services have been stressed with huge surge of asymptomatic patients which they think should be treated at home and unnecessarily the patients were also put through psychological trauma.

The government doctors are also angry but keeping mum on Health Minister's 'arbitrary and non-medical' order. However the IMA today openly questioned the method of the Health Minister, especially on the asymptomatic patient, antigen test and roaster of duty.

In a toughly worded press statement, the IMA maintained that present Covid management was wrong and not yielding any effective result as it has reached stage –III.

Hence the IMA advises Assam Government to treat all asymptomatic patients at home so that critical health infrastructure could be used for critical patients, the health workers are given some breathing space and save the patients from psychological trauma.

As of now nearly 4000 patients are Covid positive almost 99% of them are asymptomatic requiring no treatment and according to Assam health Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma only 55 patients were in ICU.

The IMA advises that the senior citizen and those having Co-morbidity should be under observation and if the asymptomatic patients are allowed to go home then crucial health facilities could be devoted to the senior vulnerable category.

However Assam Health Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma is adamant that ICMR guideline shall not be followed in Assam and all covid positive patients must be in in the hospital or covid centre.