A Supreme Court bench, headed by Justice DY Chandrachud, in its order on Saturday, constituted a National Task Force (NTF) to assess, recommend the need and distribution of oxygen for the entire country amid the raging coronavirus pandemic.

The top court said the rationale for forming a task force is to formulate the methodology for scientific allocation of oxygen to the States and the Union Territories. The task force will facilitate the meeting of minds and formulation of scientific strategies to deal with the unprecedented humanitarian crisis, it added.

Earlier today, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan informed that 1,70,841 Covid patients across the country are on the ventilator, while as many as 9,02,291 patients are on oxygen support.

The court further said that it expects leading experts shall associate with the work of the national task force on Covid-19 both as members and resource persons. According to the SC, the National Task Force will have 12 members.

Here’s the complete list of names who will be the member of the NTF:

1. Dr Bhabatosh Biswas, Former Vice-Chancellor, West Bengal University of Health Sciences, Kolkata
2. Dr Devender Singh Rana, Chairperson, Board of Management, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi.
3. Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, Chairperson and Executive Director, Narayana Healthcare, Bengaluru
4. Dr Gagandeep Kang, Professor, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu.
5. Dr JV Peter, Director, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu
6. Dr Naresh Trehan, Chairperson and Managing Director, Medanta Hospital and Heart Institute, Gurugram
7. Dr Rahul Pandit, Director, Critical Care Medicine and ICU, Fortis Hospital, Mulund (Mumbai, Maharashtra) and Kalyan (Maharashtra)
8. Dr Saumitra Rawat, Chairman & Head, Department of Surgical Gastroenterology and Liver Transplant, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi
9. Dr Shiv Kumar Sarin, Senior Professor and Head of Department of Hepatology, Director, Institute of Liver and Biliary Science (ILBS), Delhi
10. Dr Zarir F Udwadia, Consultant Chest Physician, Hinduja Hospital, Breach Candy Hospital and Parsee General Hospital, Mumbai
11. Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India (ex officio member)
12. The Convenor of the National Task Force, who shall also be a member, will be the Cabinet Secretary to the Union Government to the task force.