Make vaccination certificate mandatory to enter public places: IMA to PM Modi

In a letter to the Prime Minister Modi on Monday, the Indian Medical Association voiced concern against steadily rising Covid cases in the country.

“It is painful to note in spite of the extraordinary efforts of the Government under your leadership and the modern medical fraternity altruistic services, pandemic second wave surge is touching record heights. There are now more than 7.4 lakh active cases in the country. Sunday, April 4th 2021 recorded the highest number of new Covid cases across the country with more than one lakh new cases, the highest daily increase recorded in the country since the beginning of the pandemic,” it said.

In the letter, the IMA blamed complacency of people, mass gatherings without masks, noncompliance of COVID appropriate behaviors’ and the deterrent mutations in the virus for the latest spike in Covid cases.

“Stern implementation and execution of certain pre-emptive efforts will prove the key to contain the fast spreading pandemic including zero tolerance against the noncompliance of COVID appropriate behaviours, augmentation of infrastructure beds and oxygen availability, moral support and enthusiastic engagements of frontline health workers, ensuring adequate health care protective gears, support and strict adherence to the evidence based treatment protocols are the key factors needed at this moment,” it added.

In order to curb the rapid spread of the second wave of the disease, the IMA urged PM Modi to gear up vaccination strategy by considering following suggestions:

1. All citizens above 18 years of age shall be permitted to receive COVID vaccination
2. Walk in COVID vaccination should be available for all, free of cost at their nearest possible place
3. Private sector family clinics also shall be included actively in the vaccination drive along with Private hospitals. Availability of vaccination with all doctors and family physicians will have positive impact on the vaccination drive
4. District level vaccine task force team shall be constituted with public, private participation to enforce mass vaccination and monitoring and mitigating the adverse drug events and build confidence. IMA is willing to actively take part in it
5. Vaccination certificate shall be made a mandatory certificate for entering in to public places and receive products under public distribution system
6. As there is acute spurt of this disease, limited period lock down shall be implemented especially for all the non-essential areas like cinema, cultural and religious events, sports, etc