The Indian Medical Association (IMA), a voluntary body of doctors in India, on August 12 decided to appoint at least 2-4 doctors per police station under Kolkata Police's jurisdiction to help the force in rescuing critical COVID patients in the eastern metropolis.

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There are altogether 79 police stations under Kolkata Police's jurisdiction, which are divided into eight divisions. Each division is headed by a Deputy Commissioner rank officer. "Chief Minister had convened a meeting where we gave the proposal to appoint at least 2-4 doctors per police station who will help the police in rescuing COVID patients in critical situations. The proposal has been approved," said the IMA President, who is also a Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP.

The IMA President said that the list of names of doctors has already been sent to all the police stations in Kolkata. "In many cases it has been seen that senior citizens who are staying alone in high-rise apartments are getting infected by COVID -19. They are not getting any medical support. These elderly citizens often call the local police for help. This can be addressed if doctors can work in tandem with the Kolkata Police at every police station in this time of the pandemic," he said.

The IMA President said that the Chief Minister had already appealed to everyone to show up their humane face in the ongoing time of coronavirus scare. She had also urged everyone to work together in view of fighting out the health and hygiene scare. "The IMA has responded to her call to troubleshoot the critical situation," the IMA President added.