Washington DC [USA], Mar 23 (ANI): Indian American doctors on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States approve of President Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Even though the US now has the third-highest number of cases after Italy and China, physicians strongly support the president for the steps taken to combat the rapid spread of COVID-19 within the United States.
On Sunday President Trump announced action to help New York, California and Washington ensuring that the US National Gaurd will effectively respond to this crisis. Through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the federal government will also be funding 100 per cent of the cost. Physicians affirm that President Trumps this multifaceted approach could contain this crisis soon and are also if the view that the president has adopted a more 'public-facing' role in combating the disease.
Dr Narendra Kumar, President of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin told ANI, "The war room strategy put together by President Trump, including his wisdom of bringing together all major corporations, pharmaceutical companies, FDA and FEMA to deal with the situation deserves national recognition."
Another New York-based practising paediatrician of Indian origin Dr Amarjit Gill added, "I have been able to do COVID-19 testing on children in my office and this is because of Trump administration's expedited approval of testing by private labs."
President Trump has been leading the daily press briefings of the White House coronavirus task force, announcing new federal actions, taking questions from reporters and generally appearing more solemn regarding the nature of the threat facing the U.S.
President Trump's New York-based long time supporter Al Mason, an advocate of strong US-India relations said, "This Covid -19 crisis has brought the real compassionate Donald Trump in the open to the American People. He cares for the whole of America."
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President Trump and his task force headed by Vice President Mike Pense and his team of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Azar, Dr Anthony Fauci are even supported by Dr Seema Verma a top Indian American official. Verma is leading a push for a path-breaking telemedicine initiative using laptops and phones and apps like Skype to ease the burden of growing novel coronavirus cases and the threat of infections.
"As a practitioner for the last 49 years, I believe President Trump has done an incredible job in managing the country's response to the Covid-19 pandemic by mobilizing the best medical team in the world to find a vaccine to combat this deadly disease," said Florida based Dr Zachariah.
Dr Kiran C. Patel, a Florida based cardiologist, businessman and philanthropist said: "President Trump is doing a great job bringing all federal government resources to the nation."
Dr Bharat Barai, Medical Director, Oncology Institute, Methodist Hospitals told ANI, "President Trump's actions in handling the coronavirus calamity are revolutionary, especially getting the US Senate bill that was passed recently, close to a trillion dollars stimulus is exemplary. That will change the map of the present situation in the nation."
Even though the Democrats and critics have widely disapproved Trump for his late response to the intelligence report he received two months ago and his administration's inability to quickly ramp up testing across the country, Dr Dilip B. Viswanath, M.D. of the Delaware Valley says it's time to keep politics aside and embrace unity in overcoming this pandemic.
"Sadly this outbreak occurs in a politically charged time that there is a criticism to some degree based on one's political views. The contemporary world has really never dealt with this type of calamity. One should consider the Spanish Flu of 102 years ago where 5 per cent of the world's population died. We thankfully are advanced enough to limit the loss of life," he told ANI.
Indian American Doctors have praised the administration's increased engagement, while still demanding a more robust, all-encompassing federal response and the delivery of sorely needed medical equipment in anticipation of the coronavirus' overrunning of local health care systems.
For more than a week now, Trump has declared a national emergency, expanded the European travel ban, urged against group gatherings of more than 10 people, and signalled his support for dispensing checks to affected Americans not just within the US borders but also worldwide.
Dr Ajeenkya D.Y. Patil of the D.Y. Patil Group which runs many hospitals in India, has been interacting about the coronavirus with many Indian American doctors for his soon to start new "Grand Port Hospital" in Mumbai.
He is very encouraged by the measures President Trump has taken to combat the Covid19 Pandemic, like initiating an empowering the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to waive provisions of certain laws and regulations and give maximum flexibility to healthcare providers to care for their patients.