Resolution on Covid -19 Epidemic

Jan Swasthaya Abhiyyan Haryana adopt the following resolution about Corono Virus emerging epidemics in Haryana  :

1.       Rapidly prepare for a surge in patients requiring healthcare and hospitalization by strengthening the public hospitals. This would require in the least one hospital with an ICU and potential isolation wards and ventilators and oxygen supply in every five to ten lakh population. It would also require corresponding improvement in supply of relevant consumables and deployment of human resource. Hopefully the government containment measures will delay the peak for two to three months- but this time must  be well spent in preparation.  We reiterate that such an expansion was anyway long overdue, and this epidemic is an opportunity to rush such preparation through.

2.       While containment by isolating patients with the disease and tracing contacts, and quarantining individuals returning from nations with an established outbreak may continue to be relevant for one or two more weeks, the system needs to gear up for addressing community transmission.

3.       Social distancing must necessarily be done by public education and persuasion. The use of coercive measures would be unfair and unhelpful. Maintenance of routine economic activity, which primarily to us means the safeguarding of the livelihoods of the majority, must be safeguarded.

4.       Mass gatherings, public events, are it social, religious, sports related, cultural or political, could be dissuaded for some time more- but should not be banned.

5.       The freedom of the media to report on the epidemic must be safeguarded at all times. However when carrying a message that is on the nature of spread, the source of infection or on treatment, new media must be encouraged to keep to government channels, international health institution channels, or of universities and research institutions. Where information is from outside these sources- the news must be accompanied by a disclaimer that this is unverified and could be fake.

6.       There must be an immediate increase in public expenditure that leads to widespread demand side support in the form of both increased public employment and social security support, ensuring a universal basic income.  This is urgently required to address the attack on livelihoods of the majority, that has already been compromised by a decade of economic policies that intensified capital accumulation, but destroyed livelihoods. Further concessions to corporate industry to counter they are also facing, due to a crisis of their making would be most counter-productive.

 Jan Swasthay Abhiyan Haryana