Only 28% residents rate Madhya Pradesh Government’s handling of COVID 2nd wave as effective

June 30, 2021, New Delhi: The 2nd wave of SARS-CoV2 that caused havoc in the months of April and May has tested the pulse of every State Government of the country and their efficiency to handle the outbreak vis-à-vis Governance. Just when the country had started to recover from the 1st wave of the pandemic, the COVID-19 and its variants started taking a toll at an unprecedented pace, from the highest 97,400 daily spike (September 10th, 2020) to less than 10,000 cases (1st week, February 2021), which then increased close to 47,000 (3rd week, March) and reached its peak to more than 412,000 cases (1st week, May 2021). The wailing sound of ambulances ferrying COVID patients for days and nights had been a routine at the time. Most hospitals in cities crumbled to provide adequate treatment to those patients waiting in line for the treatment due to an increase in cases. Even crematoriums in major cities ran out of space as bodies were brought for final rites. Overall, the 2nd wave of the pandemic has caused a devastating effect on India and its citizens that will be etched for many years to come.

From the daily COVID cases of around 300-400 during the end-February, Madhya Pradesh started to experience a sudden surge in the test positivity rate that reached its peak on April 23 with a 13,590 single-day spike. As cases were rising, taking more lives every day, there was utter chaos across the city’s hospitals facing acute shortages of oxygen cylinders & concentrators, ventilator beds, Covid management medicines & testing facilities, related supplies & equipment. Many hospitals in Madhya Pradesh reported deaths due to lack of oxygen. By the end-April, there were no oxygen equipped beds across Government hospitals, and many had to turn patients away. At the time of distress, while caregivers were running from pillar to post seeking aid for their dear ones infected with COVID, many also became the victim of black-marketing and scamming.

The Bhartiya Janata Party led-Madhya Pradesh Government under the leadership of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had to eventually impose full lockdown and restriction on public movement since April 12 after a series of extended “corona curfews” to contain and mitigate the spread. In the aftermath of 2 months of lockdown, the COVID-19 daily cases and related fatalities have now come down steadily, along with the decline in the test positivity rate. There has been an increase in the availability of ICU beds and ventilators in both private and public hospitals, and the vaccination drive is in full swing. With the dip in daily COVID cases, the State Government is now mulling to start unlocking in phases.

In the aftermath of all the developments in the 2 months of the 2nd wave of COVID-19, LocalCircles has gone back to the citizens of Madhya Pradesh asking them to rate their State Government’s performance on the overall handling of the 2nd wave of COVID-19. This allows both the broader citizenry and the Government to understand where things stand and what needs to be worked upon. This is vital to effectively handle the 3rd wave, which is likely to hit India in 6-8 weeks, as suggested by experts. Medical experts have warned about a new, more infectious Delta Plus variant and emphasised on the importance of continuing to wear a double mask, follow proper hygiene, and maintain social distance. The survey received 876 responses from residents of Madhya Pradesh.

Only 28% Madhya Pradesh residents rate Madhya Pradesh Government’s handling of COVID 2nd wave as effective

The question in the survey asked residents of Madhya Pradesh, “How do you rate your state (Madhya Pradesh) Government’s handling (availability of testing, containment, hospital beds, oxygen, medicines, etc.) of the COVID 2nd wave?” In response, only 28% of citizens said “effective” and 29% said “somewhat effective.” 14% of Madhya Pradesh residents surveyed rated the Madhya Pradesh Government’s handling of COVID 2nd wave as “total failure”, 29% said “Ineffective”. On an aggregate basis, only 28% of Madhya Pradesh residents rated the Madhya Pradesh Government’s handling of COVID 2nd wave as effective or higher. 876 responses were received on the survey.

Overall, the residents of Madhya Pradesh after what they witnessed in the last 2-month period aren’t satisfied with the Madhya Pradesh Government’s handling of COVID 2nd wave in the state. This is evident with only 28% of Madhya Pradesh residents rating the State Government’s handling of COVID 2nd wave as effective. As Madhya Pradesh Government works on getting ready to handle the 3rd wave, it is critical that all aspects starting from testing, containment, hospital beds availability, readiness to handle child cases of COVID, Doctors and medical staff, equipment like ventilators, BIPAP machines, concentrators, medicines and all things COVID are available in sufficient quantities. Also, it is critical that information flow is significantly improved and centralised such that citizens call a single number and based on their condition, location, preferences, budget are assigned the right hospital. Similarly, it is key that the patient information dissemination is streamlined, and hospitals can communicate with the family on the patient’s current health condition in a timely manner.

Ranking of Indian States in handling 2nd Wave of COVID-19

Overall, findings of the LocalCircles’ survey indicate that Madhya Pradesh ranked 12th amongst 17 states of India where 28% of residents have rated the Government of Madhya Pradesh’s handling of COVID 2nd wave as high. The ranking of Indian states in handling the 2nd wave of COVID-19 indicate that Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh residents have rated their respective State Governments’ handling of COVID 2nd wave as high. Meanwhile, rating of Bihar and West Bengal were the lowest.

National Press Release

Survey Demographics

The survey received 876 responses from people residing in Madhya Pradesh. The survey was conducted via LocalCircles platform and all participants were validated citizens who had to be registered with LocalCircles to participate in this survey.