Covid-19 Pandemic and Application of Disaster Management Act, 2005: Promises and Pitfalls
Unknown authors
Abstract
The paper is an analysis of the application and enforcement of the Disaster Management Act (DMA), 2005 in combating COVID-19 pandemic in India from the standpoint of public health administration It delves into the legislative intent of the DMA, 2005 in understanding the meaning and metaphor of disaster The institutional mechanisms of disease surveillance and preparedness under the DMA, 2005 stood the test of legal pragmatism and administrative expediency However, a dispassionate analysis of the omnibus power of the central government and its efficacy during nationwide lockdown culled out to expose the deeper realities of the health right, access to medical care and health equity The COVID-19 pandemic is a convenient time for the refurbishing the public health legislation and pushes through the much sought after enactment of comprehensive public health law for epidemics and bioterrorism