Open letter by 35 doctors from across country says 'India overdoing testing, medication'

They have appealed to the central and state health authorities to put a curb on such “unwarranted” practices and promote evidence-based medicine.

One of the signatories, Dr Sanjay Nagral from Jaslok Hospital, told the TOI: "There was a need to say that we are overdoing it—be it with respect to Covid treatment, testing or hospitalisation."

He said the open letter was their way of showing protest to such practices.

The letter has been also signed by few Indian-origin doctors working at the Harvard and John Hopkins University in the US.

They are of the view that the “mistakes of the 2021 response” were being repeated in 2022."

The group is mostly concerned with "unwarranted tests, medications and hospitalisations."

Since most of the people are having mild symptoms, there is little or no need of medication, the group suggested.

"Most prescriptions we have reviewed in the past two weeks include several COVID 'kits' and cocktails," they said.

The prescribing of vitamins and medicines like azithromycin, doxycycline, hydroxychloroquine, favipiravir ivermectin is “irrational practice”, the doctors said.

Another signatory, Dr Satchit Balsari from Harvard Medical School, has noted: "Patients have struggled with misinformation around the world. While vaccine hesitancy has been one of the greatest challenges in America where vaccines are so widely available, the wanton use of unwarranted drugs pushed by medical professionals and state representatives in India has been disappointing."

The open letter has exhorted the Centre to update its June 2021 guidelines.