The health department has set up a 12-member “committee of experts” to advise the government on various technical issues related to the fight against Covid-19, a communique issued by the department on Thursday said.
The committee would be “advising the government on where and how to set up quarantine facilities in the state” and also recommend the “treatment protocol” for patients to be followed across hospitals in the state, a member of the committee told The Telegraph.
“We will advise on various technical aspects that would need a doctor’s knowledge and expertise,” said the member.
Physician Sukumar Mukherjee, SSKM Hospital hepatologist Avijit Chowdhury and Tata Medical Center director Mammen Chandy are members of the committee.
The communique, signed by the principal secretary of the health department, also mentioned the committee’s other responsibilities — creating strategies for “testing and expansion of testing facilities”, “expanding health infrastructure in case of further spread of the disease”, “prevention of the diseases among the doctors, nurses and other caregivers”.
The committee has doctors from both government and private-run hospitals in the state as well as retired doctors. Other experts can also be invited.
The director of medical education is the member convener of the committee. The director of health services is also a member.