The Karnataka government on Wednesday formally announced a 13-member committee of medical experts, headed by noted cardiac surgeon Devi Prasad Shetty, to prepare a roadmap to tackle the possible third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had already announced Devi Shetty's name on May 14, after the Karnataka High Court had asked the government to submit its plans to tackle the pandemic.
As per the Karnataka High Court's directions, Yediyurappa has now announced Shetty's name as the head of the experts' committee along with 12 other members. But the list drawn up by the state government faced flak with activists and experts pointing out that there is no woman on the list, while seven of the doctors mentioned are paediatricians. They also highlighted that the panel had just one public health expert or epidemiologist.
Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwath Narayan, who is also the chairman of the state COVID-19 task force, shared the list of medical experts who will be a part of the panel led by Shetty.
"In order to be better equipped for a possible third wave of the pandemic, we have formed a high-level committee of medical experts. The state government will proactively work with this committee to control, contain and manage the possible third wave, while we continue to actively mitigate the second wave," Narayan tweeted.
The list of committee members:
1. Devi Prasad Shetty, cardiothoracic surgeon, Narayana Hrudayala
2. Sathish Girimaji, director, NIMHANS, Bengaluru
3. Basavaraj JV., medical superintendent and professor of paediatrics, Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health, Bengaluru
4. Ashish Sathapati, regional team leader, WHO, Bengaluru
5. Ajaykumar, oncologist, HCG, Bengaluru
6. Aravind Shenai, paediatrician, Cloudnine, Bengaluru
7. Raghunath U, paediatrician, Sagar Hospital, Bengaluru
8. Jagadish Chinnappa, paediatric-cluster head, Manipal Hospital, Bengaluru
9. Srikanth JT., paediatric-pulmonologist, Aster Hospital, Bengaluru
10. Yogananda Reddy, paediatrician, ex-president, IMA
11. Vinod H. Ratageri, professor of paediatrics, KIMS, Hubballi
12. Prem K. Mony, professor of epidemiology & community health, St. John's Hospital, Bengaluru
13. PG. Girish, director, Medical Education