The much-publicised first expert committee comprising top doctors in the city is virtually lying defunct for almost seven months since April at a time when Covid-19 pandemic in the state is apparently getting out of control affecting around 4,000 people daily and killing more than 60 patients on an average.

Chief minister Miss Mamata Banerjee who also holds the health portfolio had formed the 10-member expert committee during the end of March after reports of deaths from the disease and increasing number of affected patients across the state to guide the government on how to fight against coronavirus.

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The committee headed by the director of medical education (DME) Dr Debashis Bhattacharya as its convener includes Dr Sukumar Mukherjee, senior general medicine expert, Dr Dhiman Ganguly, senior chest medicine specialist, Dr Tamal Ghosh, special secretary in the state medical education service (MES), Dr Asutosh Ghosh of SSKM Hospital and one microbiologist and several other doctors attached to different government and private hospitals.

“It’s true, no meeting has been held so far since April. We can discuss several important issues related to coronavirus among our members if the meeting is convened. The DME who is the convener of the committee can say about the issue of holding meetings,” Dr Ganguly told The Statesman.

“We are seriously concerned with alarming surge in COVID infections particularly medical professionals in different hospitals in the city and districts. It would be difficult to manage the situations if patients, doctors, nurses and other support staff get infected in healthcare establishments,” Dr Ganguly said.

“Our committee is sitting idle for months while the state government has formed a global advisory board (GAB) headed by the Nobel winner economist Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee. Hospitals are virtually becoming hotspots of COVID infections with regular reports of doctors and nurses falling down to the coronavirus. We are concerned with this development and I think our committee members should sit on a meeting to discuss situation. Hope, convener will call a meeting,” Dr Ganguly said.

Dr Bhattacharya did not respond to this correspondent’s message sent to him seeking his comments on the exper t committee meeting