BENGALURU: More than 1.2 crore people from 18 different categories are on the frontline as ‘Covid Warriors’ in India’s battle against the pandemic, but some states are more dependent on less-trained/qualified people than others thanks to a long-standing imbalance in the country.
Late last week, the Centre made public the details of “covid warriors” according to which 1.2 crore people — doctors (dentists and vets included), nurses, pharmacists, lab volunteers, trained health professionals, ASHA and Anganwadi workers, NSS and NCC members among others — are working to fight the pandemic. The data doesn’t include waste collectors.
However, TOI analysis shows that of the 1.2 crore warriors, only 42.7 lakh or 34% are doctors, nurses, pharmacists, lab volunteers and other trained healthcare professionals who are directly responsible for dealing with patients of any kind.
A break-up of each of these categories shows that 11.6 lakh