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PGI staff with high-risk exposure due to own laxity to go on casual leave
Justifying the directive, the institute said that it is being observed that despite a huge surge in Covid-19 cases, some health workers do not observe Covid-appropriate behaviour and thus there should be some sort of deterrent so that precautions are observed while performing the duties.
Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, has ordered that the quarantine period of healthcare workers, who are at high risk for exposure due to their own laxity in following Covid-19 norms, will be treated as casual leave.
In the month of April, around 500 employees of the institute had tested positive, which makes it around 30% of the total employees found positive since the outbreak last year.
Justifying the directive, the institute said that it is being observed that despite a huge surge in Covid-19 cases, some health workers do not observe Covid-appropriate behaviour and thus there should be some sort of deterrent so that precautions are observed while performing the duties.
The PGIMER administration has brought it to the notice of employees that if someone falls under high-risk exposure due to “sharing of food” and “chatting during duty hours without a mask” or “not wearing proper personal protective equipment due to an unjustifiable reason”, his quarantine period will be treated as casual leave or leave of the kind due.
The administration has also given powers to the supervisory officer and in-charge of the area to take necessary action while the department heads have been asked to bring the directive to the notice of every employee working under them.
The directive has not gone well with different groups of workers who have been at the forefront of managing critical patients.
“The order should be taken back immediately. If the administration is concerned about infection spread among health workers, they should revise the policy on breaks after Covid-19 duties. Earlier, we were being given seven-day breaks after being on Covid duty now we are getting just two. This new policy, which was implemented on April 1, has led to infection spread among employees,” said Satyaveer Dagur, general secretary of the Nurses Welfare Association.
Meanwhile, the Resident Doctors Association has said that the order is unjustified and they hope that the order is not followed in letter and spirit.
“Doctors are also humans. Sometimes, it may not be possible for them to take the required precautions, which makes this order unjustified. But at the same time, health workers should also follow the precautions wherever they can,” said Dr Uttam Thakur, president of PGIMER’s RDA.
