MUMBAI: The 10 members of the paediatric task force for Covid-19 formed by the previous, Uddhav Thackeray-led government submitted their resignation on Sunday.
"The chairperson of the paediatric task force, Dr Suhas Prabhu, felt it would be in the right spirit to resign as we were appointed by the previous government and the new government should be able to decide to either retain or set up a new team," said a paediatric task force member, who did not want to be identified.
The remaining nine members, too, decided to follow the chairperson's lead. "The pediatric task force stands dissolved," said the doctor.
Paediatric task force member Dr Vijay Yewale confirmed resignations had been sent to the medical education department. "I don't know if it has been accepted," he said.
Health secretary Dr Pradeep Vyas said no one from the task forces had been asked to resign. A senior official from the medical education department said he was unaware about the resignations.
"The task forces were set up under the provisions of the Epidemic Act. How can it be dissolved when the act is still in force?" asked a senior state government doctor.
When the pandemic began in 2020, the state set up a Covid task force under the chairmanship of former KEM dean Dr Sanjay Oak. When cases of multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (a post-Covid reaction among children) surfaced, the paediatric task force was set up.
Dr Gautam Bhansali of the Covid-19 task force said there has been no mention of resignation or dissolution of the task force. "The matter will become clearer when a new health minister is appointed," he said.
