Webinar dwells on ‘Life beyond Covid’

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 31

As the country grapples to come to terms with the ‘New Normal’ set by the Covid-19 pandemic, IIM Amritsar, in collaboration with the Government of Punjab, conducted a panel discussion on the theme “Life Beyond Covid-19: Institutionalising the New Normal in Health and Well-being,” on Sunday.

IIM Director, Prof N Ramamoorthy said in current times, it becomes quintessential to embrace the challenges posed by the pandemic for fostering better productivity and good health. The event hosted eminent personalities and experts from the field of medical science including Dr Krishna M Ella, Chairman, and MD, Bharat Biotech International Limited, Dr William Bhatti, Director, CMC Ludhiana; Dr Rakesh Chaddha, Professor and Head, Department of Psychiatry, AIIMS New Delhi; Dr Santosh Chaturvedi, Head, Department of Mental Health Education, NIMHANS.

“We are committed towards working for the community in collaboration with the Government. Covid-19 remains a challenge for the humanity. It is no longer a medical issue but a public policy challenge. From public policy making to crippling economies, from impacting the socio-emotional well being to stigmatising healthcare workers, the shocks of the pandemic are rampant,” said Prof N Ramamoorthy in his address.

Vini Mahajan, Principal Secretary of Punjab, delivered remarks during the panel discussion. Capt Amarinder Singh, CM Punjab, was unable to join for the meeting as he has self isolated himself for a period of seven days. Vini Mahajan said the new challenges emerging from the spread of miscommunication and rumour are being handled by the government agencies.

Dr Krishan Ella spoke about the stage of vaccine development in India. He informed the audience that two of every three vaccines administered to children in developing nations were manufactured in India. Highlighting the preparedness of India for manufacturing of massive numbers of syringes and needles, too, which would be required for a country with 1.3 billion population, he said the challenge ahead was disposing of such massive number of disposables. Dr Ella was confident that only India could produce the numbers that would be required to meet the needs of the world. He also emphasised the need for having a safer and less-riskier vaccine using inactivated strain.

Dr William Bhatti said the surgeons would face up to 20 per cent increased workload at a later time owing to the postponement of the surgeries on account of the pandemic. He felt that this 20% surge in the number of surgeries may continue for around 45 weeks. Dr Santosh Chaturvedi highlighted the issue of mass hysteria and social stigma created by the pandemic. “Since everything is happening from home, work from home, schooling from home, socialising from home, the home is nowhere to be found. The present situation is causing much stress for everyone. Some relief would come to people if they locked down misleading sources of information and developed ‘Heard immunity,’ that is, immunity to hearing wrong information.”

Dr Rakesh Chaddha talked about the psycho-social challenges of the pandemic. More than 350 participants, including healthcare professionals, medical students and others turned up for the event.