Any delay in paying salaries of health workers to be an offence now: Govt

NEW DELHI: Not paying salaries of health workers on time will be treated as an offence against the defaulting hospitals and authorities, the central government said in an order issued Thursday.
Union health secretary Preeti Sudan in a letter asked chief secretaries of all states and UTs to ensure compliance of the order, “non-compliance of which will be treated as an offence under the Disaster Management Act read with the Indian Penal Code and action taken accordingly against defaulting hospitals/institutions/authorities”.

Late on Thursday, the health ministry also came out with an updated advisory for healthcare workers. It said that for doctors, nursing officers and other health workers with high risk exposure, the quarantine period shall be initially for one week. However, if they test positive but remain asymptomatic they will follow home isolation.

In cases where home isolation is not feasible, such mild/very mild/pre-symptomatic cases will be admitted to a Covid-19 care centre. Moderate cases that require oxygen therapy shall be managed at a dedicated Covid-19 health centre, and severe cases will be managed in a dedicated Covid-19 hospital, it said.

Low risk contacts shall continue to work. “They will self-monitor their health for development of symptoms,” said the new advisory. Those who test negative, will be managed as in non-Covid area as per their clinical diagnosis. Their resuming work will be based on the clinical diagnosis and the medical certification by the treating doctor. “Quarantine of healthcare workers, other than what is stipulated is not warranted,” it said.

The government also introduced a ‘buddy system’, under which two or more-people’s teams are formed among the deployed hospital staff who share responsibilities for his/her partner’s safety and wellbeing in the context of appropriately donning and doffing of PPEs.