The Indian doctors who are practising in the US have got a thumbs down from Indian government in their effort to seek “blanket immunity and indemnification” by offering virtual or in-person COVID-19 services. 

This offer from US-based Indian physicians came amidst an anticipated shortage of doctors in India due to a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic which has forced the government to draft the final-year medical students in the war against it. 

The American Association of Physicians of Indian-Origin (AAPI) said to Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and Harsh Vardhan, Union health minister in a letter that a blanket immunity and indemnification would spare doctors from most legal liabilities and will also mobilise thousands of Indian doctors in the USA to come forward and offer their expertise providing compassionate and competent care urgently and try to relieve the heavy burden on the overstrained physicians and healthcare systems in India.

However, the AAPI sources said that they got a thumbs down from the ministry of health for in-person treatment. The organisation is working through companies such as eGlobal doctors now that provides liability coveras it is trying to convince the health ministry to find a way. A scheduled conference call was cancelled on Tuesday with health minister Harsh Vardhan.

Almost 80,000 physicians of Indian-origin are there in the US and AAPI has stated that thousands are ready to sign up to offer help to COVID-19 patients with virtual tele-health and are also ready to fly to India to offer in-person expertise and treatment. Dr Sudhakar Jonnalagadda, who is a AAPI president, said that currently the organisation is facilitating communication between US and Indian doctors to advise them related to the evidence-based protocols for treating COVID-19 patients. It has assessed 3 HIPPA compliant telehealth platforms for treating patients in India.

The organisation said in an advisory that AAPI has encouraged using this route asit will give global malpractice coverage and provide free service for 1-3 months for US-based doctors to help Indian patients. Also, the platforms will serve and help Indian-American physicians to register in India by renewing their India licenses too.

The US has the largest balance of Indian doctors in any country outside of India. After the native-born doctors, the doctors of Indian-origin are the biggest ethnic cohort in the US. They provide domain knowledge in infectious disease studies and research with experts for instance Dr. Ashish Jha, Dean of the School of Public Health at Brown University, and Dr Priya Sampathkumar, Chair, Infection Prevention & Control, Mayo Clinic, who are much sought after for their expertise in this field.

However, AAPI says that there is nothing like to help on the ground and is in constant touch with Indian bureaucracy to see how they can help our motherland during this terrible pandemic. The organisation has also raised $2.6 million for COVID-19 assistance in India along with many other Indian movement in raising money and resources to battle against a pandemic who has no boundaries.

Source: ET Healthworld