Taken aback by the surge in the number of Covid-19 patients, the Indian Medical Association, the highest policy making body of modern medicine practitioners have asked the Government of Kerala to declare a state of “Health Emergency”.

Dr Abraham Varghese, president, IMA (Kerala) said in a statement to the Government that the situation in Kerala is precarious and requires stringent action and an awareness campaign. The number of cases diagnosed with Covid-19 on a daily basis is disturbing. But what is of more concern is the number of patients contracting the pandemic through social contacts,” said Dr Varghese.

The soft-spoken doctor has been cautioning the authorities about community transmission which was set long back in the State.. He said the Government should go for strict social controls and regulations to check the number of people crowding at public places and shopping centres. “Offices and business establishments could work with skeleton staff and there should be restrictions on the number of people who could gather in public or private places,” said Dr Varghese.

Though the official figures state that almost 58,000 people are under treatment in the State for Covid-19, Government doctors themselves say that the figure has crossed 2 lakh mark. “The IMA’s studies prove that the situation in Kerala is getting worse by the day as shown by the spurt in numbers.

There is no  scientific coordination or liaison between various departments of the Government,” observed the IMA.