SC issues notice to Centre & IMA to include foreign medical graduates in COVID workforce

As India continues to battle against the unprecedented second wave of the pandemic, the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday issued notice to Indian Medical Council and Centre. This latest development comes after a plea seeking to include foreign medical graduates in the healthcare workforce in India was filed in the apex court. The plea in the SC sought direction from the Centre and states to induct foreign medical graduates within their jurisdiction into the COVID workforce. 

FMGE candidates move SC; ask for permission to joining COVID-19 workforce

The medical graduates, who had pursued their medical education from outside of India, had approached the Supreme Court under the banner of The Association of MD Physicians, All India Foreign Medical Graduates and Russian Medical Graduates Associations. 

Sharing the news on Twitter, one of the users wrote, "Finally Our Association of MD Physicians under Guidance President of Association @cardiology08 have approached the Supreme Court seeking directions to states to allow FMGs to join the Covid-19 healthcare workforce with facilities at par with MBBS graduates."

COVID-19: India records lowest daily rise in last 54 days

Amid all the bad news that's coming in during this unprecedented coronavirus second-wave across India, there is a ray of hope that is showing significant improvement in the current situation. Some considerable trends have been noted over the last 24 hours which is a welcome change in a much-needed direction.

Here are the key trends:

• India recorded a single-day rise of 1,27,510 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest in 54 days, taking the country's infection tally to 2,81,75,044, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday.
• India's active caseload further declined and is below 20 lakhs after 43 days. The active caseload further declined to 18,95,520 as active cases decreased by 1,30,572 in the last 24 hours
• The daily positivity rate also declined to 6.62 per cent, remaining below the 10 per cent-mark for the seventh consecutive days, while the weekly positivity rate dropped to 8.64 per cent.
• Recoveries continue to outnumber the daily new cases for the 19th successive days, as India witnessed 2,55,287 recoveries in the last 24 hours, the ministry said. The recovery tally of India has reached 2,59,47,629 and the recovery rate stands at 92.09 per cent.
• The Union Health Ministry has informed that nearly 21,60,46,638 vaccine doses have been administered so far under the nationwide vaccination drive. 
• Testing capacity substantially ramped up as 34.67 crore tests total conducted so far.

(Image: PTI, Pixabay)