Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sanction the use of specific drugs and treatments, which have shown positive outcomes, on COVID-19 patients. The CM also appealed to the Centre to draw up a uniform strategy to conduct university examinations.
Mr. Modi held a videoconference with all CMs to discuss the measures taken to fight the pandemic.
“There is no specific treatment for [COVID-19]. But different treatments, including different drugs, have shown positive results. Those treatments must be authorised by the Centre,” Mr. Thackeray said in the videoconference. He said Maharashtra has observed positive results with such treatments on patients as old as 90 years.
State Health Minister Rajesh Tope had earlier said the government will be requesting the Centre to make available drugs like remdesivir, which have been effective against COVID-19, in large quantities and at a reasonable price.
Mr. Thackeray said the State’s strategy to deal with the pandemic is to “chase the virus”. “We have increased tests and contact tracing. This was used to control the disease in a place like Dharavi,” he said.
The Chief Minister also sought uniform guidelines on university examinations. “We are not in a position to hold examinations. For non-commercial courses, the State government has devised a formula under which marks based on [students’] previous performance will be given. We have also given students the option to appear for exams in October in case they want to improve their grades,” he said. The CM said the Centre should take a uniform decision for non-commercial and commercial courses to ensure justice for all students.
The Maharashtra government has locked horns with the Governor over the matter. The Governor wants the State to conduct final year exams, but the government has said the exercise would be difficult given the spread of COVID-19.
