City’s son to lead top level team to fight Covid-19 pandemic
   Date :21-Apr-2020

Dr Sunil Khaparde_1 
 
 
Principal Correspondent :
 
Nagpur’s own son Dr Sunil Khaparde, Advisor to Public Health has been appointed as Team Leader of High Level Multi-disciplinary Central Team to Mumbai (Maharashtra). Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India has decided to depute him as Team Leaders considering his earlier performance and his vast experience in health sector. Dr Khaparde will assist State Health Department in implementation of cluster containment plan and microplan for COVID - 19. Regional Director of Pune will coordinate with State Health department for visit of the central teams.
 
The team led by Dr Khaparde will report to Additional Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary, Secretary of Health and Family Welfare of respective states and assist State Health Departments to implement Cluster Containment Plan, check hospital preparedness including Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Ventilatory Management for COVID 19 patients. Dr Khaparde has earlier worked as Deputy Director General (Tuberculosis), Government of India.
 
It was during his tenure that Government had come up with the plan of elimination of TB by 2025. He had introduced several new measures like expanding its multi-drug resistant tuberculosis programme with 3,000 courses of life-saving TB drug Bedaquiline. He tried to reduce TB treatment from 24 months period to 11 months through which the plan was to save upto Rs 50,000 per year per patient. It was during his time that India reported highest number of TB cases and it was taken as cases got increased. There was criticism also. But in reality Dr Khaparde had taken a lead compeling private healthsector to come up with TB cases which they had not done earlier. Cases had not increased but private healthcare sector was not revealing till then. Government expects him to work in fight against corona sector.