The Supreme Court on Saturday constituted a National Task Force (NTF) to assess and recommend the need and distribution of liquid medical oxygen for all states and Union Territories. The 12-member task force will formulate a methodology for scientific allocation of oxygen, and will be at liberty to draw upon the human resources of the Union government for consultation and information.
The order passed by a division bench comprising of Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and M.R. Shah came even as several states are complaining of inadequate oxygen supply to their hospitals amid an alarming surge in the number of COVID-19 patients getting admitted.
Cabinet secretary to the Union government is the convenor of the task force which also has medical experts and doctors from across the country as its members.
The top court said that the establishment of such a task force will enable the decision makers to have inputs which go beyond finding ad-hoc solutions to present problems, reported the Bar and Bench.
"The establishment of the Task Force will provide the Union Government with inputs and strategies for meeting the challenges of the pandemic on a transparent and professional basis, in the present and in future," the court said in its order.
The task force will have the following members.
(1) Dr Bhabatosh Biswas, Former Vice-Chancellor, West Bengal University of Health Sciences, Kolkata
(2) Dr Devender Singh Rana, Chairperson, Board of Management, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi
(3) Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, Chairperson and Executive Director, Narayana Healthcare, Bengaluru
(4) Dr Gagandeep Kang, Professor, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu
(5) Dr JV Peter, Director, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu
(6) Dr Naresh Trehan, Chairperson and Managing Director, Medanta Hospital and Heart Institute, Gurugram
(7) Dr Rahul Pandit, Director, Critical Care Medicine and ICU, Fortis Hospital, Mulund (Mumbai, Maharashtra) and Kalyan (Maharashtra)
(8) Dr Saumitra Rawat, Chairman & Head, Department of Surgical Gastroenterology and Liver Transplant, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi
(9) Dr Shiv Kumar Sarin, Senior Professor and Head of Department of Hepatology, Director, Institute of Liver and Biliary Science (ILBS), Delhi
(10) Dr Zarir F Udwadia, Consultant Chest Physician, Hinduja Hospital, Breach Candy Hospital and Parsee General Hospital, Mumbai
(11) Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India (ex officio member)
(12) The Convenor of the National Task Force, who shall also be a member, will be the Cabinet Secretary to the Union Government to the task force.
