Oxfam calls for focusing on free testing, enabling civil society in fight against COVID-19

Rights group Oxfam has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling for an eight-point plan to include focus on increasing free testing, ensuring gender and socially inclusive response, and enabling the civil society network to join the fight against coronavirus.

"India should aggressively ramp up testing to include all those with symptoms or even loosely matching the criteria to curtail community spread and release district-level information on COVID-19 cases. Testing should be made free in both public and private sector in line with the recommendations made by the ICMR," Oxfam India CEO Amitabh Behar said in an open letter to Modi.

He also said a "humane" enforcement of the lockdown must be made.

"Urgent steps are needed to orient those tasked with its enforcement to allow movement of essential workers and respect dignity of those suspected or infected or needing to travel for unavoidable reasons," the letter said.

A decentralised quarantine network also needs to be set up across the country, it suggested.

Welcoming Tuesday's announcement of health insurance for frontline responders, the group recommended additional steps like hazard/incentive pay, reimbursement of all expenses, ensure testing and provision of protective gear and enhanced ex-gratia compensation.

It also suggested ensuring that the response towards COVID-19 is inclusive of gender and social groups.

"The COVID-19 response needs to address the specific needs of women, the LGBTQ community, persons with disability and marginalized communities. With good WASH facilities critical for a victory over COVID-19, it is critical that water by tankers is reached to slums and rural areas with poor access to water to minimize burden on women," it said.

The term 'WASH' in health care refers to the provision of water, sanitation, health care waste management, hygiene and environmental cleaning infrastructure, and services across all parts of a health care facility.

It is critical that helplines are available, working and publicised for information and psycho-social support for women facing domestic violence, the letter said, adding that special police units be charged with rescuing women who complain of domestic violence and take them to their natal families, relatives of their choice or functioning shelter homes.

The letter also asked for addressing the needs of India's children. It also called for enhancing public health provisions.

"India needs to do more to ensure safety of health workers and those on the frontlines of the response by making available personal protective equipment to minimize the risk of their infection and monitor and prevent any discrimination or attacks on health workers," it said.

"Aggressive steps are needed to address shortage of ventilators, oxygen and personal protective equipment through any means including ordering industry to switch to production of essential equipment," the letter said.

The group also called for protecting informal workers, the poor and the vulnerable.

"We regret that despite the package, some of India's most marginalized, like unregistered construction workers and those without Jan Dhan accounts, will remain outside social protection during the pandemic," the letter said.

It also recommended putting in place a package to revive the economy, but for the people and not corporations.

The letter also called for enabling civil society to join the fight against COVID-19.