States with good primary healthcare system managed COVID-19 well: Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
The Executive Chairperson of bio-pharmaceuticals company,Biocon Ltd, also hit out at people not wearing face-masks inpublic places and said they don't understand the gravity ofthe disease.
She called for a behavioural change in people withenhanced focus on discipline and cleanliness.
Citing Karnataka and Kerala, Mazumdar-Shaw said they havemanaged the COVID-19 well as they have got a very good primaryhealth care ecosystem.
Kerala is a shining example of this.
She also said that Thailand is able to contain anyepidemic as it has an excellent primary healthcare structure.
People in countries like Japan, Vietnam and Thailand wearface-masks all the time in public places even before theCOVID-19 pandemic.
And then, they are naturally very clean people,disciplined.
India will have to become a cleaner country , she told.
What better time than now to focus much more oninitiatives like Swachh Bharat and practices such as wearingmasks and cleaning hands, she said.
According to her, the coronavirus is breaking out in verydense and poor clusters in India.
So, poverty and density of population seem to be acombination, which really allows the virus to spread.
One has to do mass testing in those areas, and isolateand quarantine anyone testing positive.
India has no option but to open up the economy withsafeguards like temperature checks, mask wearing, physicaldistancing.
When restrictions are removed, the number of COVID-19cases is bound to increase and it s not a cause for worry.
Mortality rate is what we really need to focus on .
Mazumdar-Shaw said this is the time to decentraliseresponsibilities and empower district administrations tomanage the disease by tracing, tracking, isolating andtreating infected people.
While one cannot lift the lockdown in places where thereis a huge surge in cases, she said all cities should not bedeclared as red-zones.
For example, wards (there are 200 of them in Bengaluru)which are hot-spots should be sealed off while the rest of theareas should be opened up.
She is finding that uneducated in villages are followingthe rules like wearing of masks in public places more than theeducated in urban areas.
If you go to cities, our people are useless, they aresupposed to be educated and they don't even wear a mask.
For a country like India, you need strict discipline ,Mazumdar-Shaw said, adding, penalty should be mandatorilyimposed for spitting in public and not wearing masks.
Somehow, we don't care, we are not disciplined, andeveryone thinks I am fine, I am safe, nothing will happen tome, they don't even understand what this viral infection isabout.
Nobody can say that they are safe from the virus, shesaid.
It is a behavioural change that we need.
And to bring about this kind of behavioural change istough but at least there is a fear factor that will bring thisbehavioural change, Mazumdar-Shaw added. RSROH ROH