Dr D. Nageshwar Reddy, founder of the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology in Hyderabad, has put together a 52-member team to study the second wave of the Covid pandemic in India. They came up with a treatment protocol and administered it on 20,000 critical patients. Almost all of them were saved. Reddy tells M.S. Shanker that India could overcome the pandemic by this year-end. Excerpts…
What is the AIG protocol and why?
Indian patients. Hence, we decided to make our own protocols based on the combination of evidence and experience. We treated over 20,000 cases of Covid and our treatment process helped reduce the mortality rate to almost zero.
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Is Indian healthcare ready for a third wave?
Considering our population, we can never say we are well-prepared. Our objective is how to overcome the crisis. We could handle the situation to a great extent and if news reports are any indication, the infection is dropping considerably. I am sure by June-end we can come to grips in keeping the numbers under control.
When will India become free from the pandemic?
It depends on two things: Covid-appropriate behaviour and vaccination. We have estimated that we require around 20 crore vaccines a month. My prediction for a mask-free India will be sometime during November-December, only if we follow Covid protocols and get vaccinated.
