JMI organises webinar on “Health Emergencies and Public Health Reforms: Prospects and Challenges”
New Delhi: The Faculty of Law, Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) organised the Second webinar titled “Health Emergencies and Public Health Reforms: Prospects And Challenges” on 7 th June 2020 amidst COVID-19 pandemic. The event was organised as part of the university’s centenary celebration. The webinar was inaugurated by Prof. (Dr.) Najma Akhtar, Vice Chancellor, JMI, who congratulated the Faculty of Law for conducting the webinar and welcomed the online conduct
of academic exercises.
Dr. Ghulam Yazdani, Associate Professor (Faculty of Law) and Convenor, gave the introductory speech and Prof. (Dr.) Sajid Z. Amani, Dean (Faculty of Law) welcomed all the dignitaries and participants to the webinar. The panelists on the technical session were Mr. Sanjay Hegde (Senior Advocate, Supreme Court), Ms. Asha Kashyap (Founder, Kashyap Partners & Associates LLP), Dr. Nafis Faizi (Assistant Professor, JN Medical College AMU) and Ms. Dhvani Mehta (Senior Resident Fellow, Vidhi Centre ForLegal Policy). The webinar moderated by Dr. Subhradipta Sarkar, Associate Professor (Faculty of Law) and Convenor, saw wide-ranging deliberations on various medico legal aspects of health emergencies and the status of healthcare in India. The panellists exhorted the participants on the poor state of health administration and infrastructure in India, and lacunas in the administrative response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While Dr. Nafis Faizi lamented at the state of public health system and lack of regulation over the private health sector; Ms. Asha Kashyap questioned the extent of efficacy the laws and regulations could achieve during the health emergencies. Ms. Dhvani Mehta, while sharing her views, raised concerns over the State’s overdrive in criminalising attacks on Medical health workers, in spite of the existence of IPC and other criminal laws; she suggested alternative punishments to deal with such cases.
Mr. Sanjay Hegde, expressed concerns over the totalitarian approach of the democratic countries towards dealing with the pandemic; and the lack of hands-on approach of the Supreme Court on the migrant issue. The webinar saw an enthusiastic participation from the teachers of the Faculty of Law, academicians, professional, and the students from different law schools and JMI. The Vice Chancellor, not only attended the entire webinar, but also expressed her deep satisfaction over the deliberations of the proceeding, and extended her gratitude to the JMI administration for their efforts in keeping the perpetual flow of academic activities in JMI amidst
national lockdown.