Indian-American Dr Vivek Murthy sworn in as US Surgeon General
Washington: Indian-American physician Vivek Murthy has been sworn in as the 21st Surgeon General of the US, a role in which his top priority would be to end the coronavirus pandemic that has severely hit the country and be a voice for science.
Honoured to be sworn in as your Surgeon General. I owe this day to my family who has guided & supported me every step of the way, Dr Murthy, 43, said on Thursday soon after being sworn in as the top doctor of the country by Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra.
He has occupied the position of America's Surgeon General for the second time. In 2011, president Barack Obama tapped him to serve on the advisory group on prevention, health promotion, and integrative and public health.
I stand ready to work with you to end this pandemic & build a world where good health is within everyone's grasp, he said.
Ready to take on this position as the Nation's Doctor to help end this pandemic, be a voice for science, & support our nation on its path to rebuilding and healing, said Dr Murthy, who now is the highest ranking Indian-American in the Biden administration.
COVID-19 has taken the lives of several members of Murthy's extended family. During his confirmation hearing in February, he said that seven of his family members in India and America have died due to the virus.
A day earlier Murthy was confirmed by the Senate by 57-43 votes.
As US Surgeon General, Murthy will advise President Biden on the coronavirus pandemic and will be the federal government's leading voice on public health.
In 2013, Obama nominated Dr Murthy to be the Surgeon General. He was the youngest ever to hold the office at the age of 37. However, he had to abruptly leave the position during the Trump administration.
During his previous tenure as 19th Surgeon General, Dr Murthy has created initiatives to tackle America's most pressing public health challenges.
As America's Doctor he helped lead the national response to a range of health challenges, including the Ebola and Zika viruses, the opioid crisis, and the growing threat of stress and loneliness to Americans' physical and mental wellbeing.
He also issued the first Surgeons General's report on Alcohol, Drugs and Health, in which he challenged the nation to expand access to prevention and treatment and to recognise addiction as a chronic illness, not a character flaw. Dr Murthy continued the office's legacy on preventing tobacco-related disease, releasing a historic Surgeon General's report on e-cigarettes and youth.
Prior to his tenure as Surgeon General, Dr Murthy co-founded VISIONS, a global HIV/AIDS education organization; the Swasthya Project, a rural health partnership that trained women in South India to become community health workers and educators; TrialNetworks, a technology company dedicated to improving collaboration and efficiency in clinical trials; and Doctors for America, a nonprofit mobilising physicians and medical students to improve access to affordable care.
His scientific research has focused on vaccine development and the participation of women and minorities in clinical trials. As an internal medicine doctor at Brigham and Women's Hospital and at Harvard Medical School, Dr Murthy cared for thousands of patients over the years and trained undergraduates, medical students, and medical residents.
Raised in Miami, Dr Murthy received his bachelor of arts degree from Harvard, his masters in business administration from the Yale School of Management, and his MD from the Yale School of Medicine.
Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said that Dr Murty is an exceptionally talented, experienced, and compassionate leader who will continue guiding our country forward in our efforts to finally defeat this virus and tackle the many public health crises the country faces from an epidemic of gun violence to environmental injustice.
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus chair Congresswoman Judy Chu said that it is significant that Dr Murthy will be one of the top Asian Americans in federal government at a moment when Asian American and Pacific Islanders communities are being disproportionately impacted by both the coronavirus as well as surging anti-Asian discrimination and violence.
During this critical time, it is significant to have a Surgeon General who understands these differences between communities and the need to target help where it is most needed in culturally and linguistically competent ways. I applaud President Biden for elevating such a qualified public health expert as Dr Murthy and for his commitment to building a diverse federal workforce that more closely resembles the country we serve, she said.
The US has the highest coronavirus case tally in the world at 30,079,283 and the highest death toll at 546,822.
Some 18 million Americans are still relying on unemployment insurance and some 400,000 small businesses have permanently closed their doors.
I’m honored to be sworn in as your Surgeon General. I owe this day to my family who has guided and supported me every step of the way. I stand ready to work with you to end this pandemic and to build a world where good health is within everyone’s grasp. pic.twitter.com/uUB0MyzDrL
— Dr. Vivek Murthy, 21st U.S. Surgeon General (@Surgeon_General) March 25, 2021
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Strict security measures in place in Mumbai for Messi's events at 2 venues Dec 14, say police
Mumbai (PTI): In view of Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai on Sunday, the city police are implementing stringent security measures, like not allowing water bottles, metals, coins inside the stadiums and setting up watchtowers to keep an eye on the crowd, officials said.
The police also said taking extra care to avoid any stampede-like situation and to prevent recurrence of the chaotic situation that unfolded in Kolkata during Messi's visit on Saturday as thousands of fans protested inside the Salt Lake stadium here after failing to catch a clear glimpse of the football icon despite paying hefty sums for tickets.
Messi is expected to be present at the Cricket Club of India (Brabourne Stadium) in Mumbai on Sunday for a Padel GOAT Cup event followed by attending a celebrity football match. He is expected to proceed to the Wankhede Stadium for the GOAT India Tour main event around 5 pm.
"In view of Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai, the police are geared up and have put in place a high level of security arrangements in and around the stadiums located in south Mumbai. Considering the chaos that prevailed in Kolkata and the security breach, we have deployed World Cup-level security arrangements at Brabourne and Wankhede stadiums," an official said.
Expecting heavy crowd near the stadiums during Messi's visit, the city police force has deployed more than 2,000 of its personnel near and around both the venues, he said.
As the Mumbai police have the experience of security 'bandobast' during the victory parade of ICC World Cup-winning Indian team and World Cup final match at the Wankhede Stadium, in which over one lakh cricket fans had gathered, we are prepared to handle a large crowd of fans, he said.
"We are trying to avoid the errors that occurred in the past," the official said.
There is no place to sneak inside the stadiums in Mumbai like the Kolkata stadium, according to him.
The police are also asking the organisers to provide all the required facilities to the fans inside the stadium, so that there will be no chaos, he said, adding the spectators have purchased tickets in the range of Rs 5,000 to 25,000. After paying so much of amount, any spectator expects proper services, while enjoying the event, he said.
The police are expecting 33,000 spectators at the Wankhede Stadium and over 4,000 at Brabourne Stadium. Besides this, more than 30,000 people are expected outside and around the stadiums just to have a glimpse of the football sensation, he said.
The organisers responsible for Messi's India visit recently came to Mumbai to discuss security arrangements. During the meeting, the Mumbai police asked them not to take the event lightly, according to the official.
After those requirements were fulfilled, the final security deployment was chalked out, he said.
Police has the standard procedure of the security arrangements inside the Wankhede Stadium, where people are barred from taking water bottles, metals objects, coins. Police are setting up watch towers near the stadiums and there will be traffic diversions, so that there is maximum space available to stand, according to the official.
Police are also appealing to the spectators to use public transport service for commuting and avoid personal vehicles to reach south Mumbai.
To avoid any stampede-like situation, police are also taking precautionary measures and will stop the fans some distance ahead of the stadium and public announcement systems will be used to guide the crowd. Barricades will be placed at various places to manage the crowd.
In case the crowd swells up beyond expectation, the police will divert people to other grounds and preparations in this regard underway, he said.
Additional police force has been deployed in south Mumbai to tackle any kind of situation, he said.
