Apex court says task force will provide govt with scientific inputs to pandemic problems
NEW DELHI/BENGALURU:
Bengaluru’s own Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, chairman and executive director of Narayana Healthcare, is among the 12 members of a Supreme Court-constituted National Task Force of medical experts tasked with putting in place a system of allocation of oxygen to the states and union territories.
A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and MR Shah said in its May 6 order that the Union Cabinet Secretary would be the convenor of the National Task Force, while the Secretary of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will be an ex-officio member.
The following are the members of the task force: Bhabatosh Biswas, former Vice-Chancellor, West Bengal University of Health Sciences, Kolkata; Devender Singh Rana, Chairperson, Board of Management, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi; Devi Prasad Shetty, Chairperson and Executive Director, Narayana Healthcare, Bengaluru; Gagandeep Kang, Professor, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu; JV Peter, Director, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu; Naresh Trehan, Chairperson and Managing Director, Medanta Hospital and Heart Institute, Gurugram; Rahul Pandit, Director, Critical Care Medicine and ICU, Fortis Hospital, Mulund (Mumbai, Maharashtra) and Kalyan (Maharashtra); Dr Saumitra Rawat, Chairman & Head, Department of Surgical Gastroenterology and Liver Transplant, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi; Shiv Kumar Sarin of Institute of Liver and Biliary Science (ILBS), Delhi; and Zarir F Udwadia of Hinduja Hospital, Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai.
‘The establishment of this Task Force will enable the decision-makers to have inputs which go beyond finding ad hoc solutions to the present problems,” the bench said.
The court said the Task Force will constitute sub-groups/committees in each state/UT for auditing supply and distribution of medical oxygen.
