Journal of Tropical Diseases & Public Health

Covid-19 pandemic in India: Management challenges and consequences

11^th European Epidemiology and Public Health Congress

June 25, 2021 | Webinar

V. Meenakshi Subramanian

SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Center, India

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Trop Dis

Abstract:

India through its systematic planning and innovative combat strategies effectively contained the first wave of COVID19 pandemic during 2020. Stringent measures imposed across the country viz. timely lockdown, restricting movements, gearing up the health system, boosting the production of necessary medical supplies as well as catalysing large-scale behaviour change by making citizens conscious about personal and public hygiene were awarded a score of 100 by Oxford University for government’s response to early COVID-19 situation. In contrast, during the second wave it surpassed the peak of 97,894 cases registered in the first wave of September 2020 and reached an all-time high of 3.91 lakh on May 8th 2021 with high death rate. This can be attributed to factors like behavioural fatigue set among people, large scale uncontrolled gatherings during election campaign and festivals across the country violating safety protocols. Emergence of mutated variants, poor preparedness and slow response of government in strengthening the health infrastructure, inadequate manpower, bureaucratic indifferences, policy inconsistency, and inadequate compensation, non-adoption of standard operating protocols due to heavy inflow of patients resulted in breakdown of health infrastructure and burn out health workers. Initial indifference shown by the people towards immunisation, poor vaccination planning and inadequate vaccine supplies aggravated the conditions. Consequences like prevalence of psychological stress due to increased vulnerability, deaths and overburden demoralized the health workers. Increase in prices, poverty and hunger, unemployment, domestic violence, paralyzing of education system, development of new infections in public, non- availability of primary health care facilities are some of the major consequences.

Biography :

DR. V. Meenakshi Subramanian completed her MBBS degree from Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Belgaum, which is one of the Prestigious medical college in India. At present she is doing her final year MD in Preventive Social Medicine in SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Center, Chennai. She is now involved in teaching of para medical students, epidemiological research, rural health services and clinical practice in her medical college hospital.