Tuesday, 10 August 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
THE PIONEER TALK
The public in general was careless during the second wave of Covid-19 and is still complacent when it comes to precautions to prevent the further spread of Covid. The vice chancellor of the Swami Rama Himalayan University, Vijay Dhasmana said this in an online interaction with The Pioneer on Monday.
Speaking about the lessons learnt from the second wave of Covid-19, Dhasmana said that one has to understand that basic precautions suggested by the doctors and government are necessary for all to follow. Even those who have been fully vaccinated need to wear masks, maintain social distancing and hand hygiene. One should understand that there is no scope for complacency. On the question of who is responsible for the deaths during the second wave, he said that it would be unfair to blame anyone particularly considering the unexpected situation faced at the time. However, the public in general was careless and very complacent. Despite clear guidelines and the visible effect of not following the same, people were not following Covid guidelines. This exacerbated the impact of the second wave, he said. Regarding what needs to be done to speed up vaccination in the state, Dhasmana said that awareness needs to be raised further so that doubts and hesitancy regarding the vaccine are dispelled. The government will be able to speed up the process once this and the aspect of vaccine availability are effectively addressed. On the subject of preparation for the third wave he said that all the governmental and private hospitals are well prepared for the third wave though all wish that it never comes. The government and private institutions are mentally and infrastructurally prepared to face the third wave, he added. Apart from Covid, he said that when it comes to cancer, the Himalayan institute has a comprehensive cancer institute where any patient can get the latest treatment at affordable rates. He said that due to modern technology and improved diagnosis, the chances of a patient being cured are about 90 per cent if diagnosed in the initial stage.
On the question of what the university is doing to address the issue of employability which has been hit hard by the Covid pandemic, Dhasmana said that the institution is focusing on two aspects- those who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic and academic enhancement to boost employability as per the requirements of the industry. Through institutions under the trust, various efforts like training youths for running homestays are being undertaken. Hundred youths have been trained while the second batch of 100 youths is undergoing training at present. Apart from this, the university has introduced courses like BSc in Data Science, MSc in Statistics and an Epidemiology programme- all considering the demand for expertise in these subjects which has come to focus especially due to the pandemic.
Regarding how technology has enabled functioning during the pandemic and the drawbacks of the same, he said that technology can and has proven to be quite useful in doing away with unnecessary hassle as in the case on online interactions and meetings which save time and fuel while enable the same interaction with observance of Covid protocols as a physical meeting. However, the same technology has affected overall development as online classes are not the same as physical classes. The experience and learning a student has access to in a physical class is not the same as that offered by an online class. On the subject of how people can handle the stress that has resulted from the pandemic, Dhasmana said that people have been affected by economic and health related anxiety during the pandemic. “Helping others, your neighbours to overcome their problems and assisting those in need is good. Our Rural Development Institute has also decided to take up the lifelong educational expenses of those in the mountains who have been orphaned by Covid. You should spend time with yourself, meditate to have a calm mind and infuse it with positive thoughts. This is important in order to face the situation,”he said.
