Ghaziabad: No hotel quarantine facility for medical staff this time

Ghaziabad: The Ghaziabad administration has decided to discontinue the hotel quarantine facility provided to the doctors and other medical staff treating the Covid-19 patients at state-run hospitals in the district, officials said on Wednesday

Ghaziabad: The Ghaziabad administration has decided to discontinue the hotel quarantine facility provided to the doctors and other medical staff treating the Covid-19 patients at state-run hospitals in the district, officials said on Wednesday.

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The officials said that such an arrangement is needed as majority of the health-care workers (HCWs) in the district have received Covid-19 vaccine and do not require active and passive quarantine procedure during which they were made to stay in hotels and lodges while on Covid duty last year.

According to the officials, HCWs on active Covid duty were required to make a stay (active quarantine) at hotels, after duty hours, where they were provided free lodging and food for two weeks. Later, after completion of two weeks, they were required to stay for another one week in hotels as part of passive quarantine while off duty.

“The similar arrangement will not be made available this time during Covid duty as majority of the HCWs have received vaccine shots. This has been decided by the state administration. Some of HCWs, who did not receive or opt for vaccination, will be given non-Covid duties this time,” said Ajay Shankar Pandey, district magistrate.

According to official records, 23,171 of 27,280 HCWs in the district received their first vaccine shots while 13,997 of them also received their second vaccine shots till April 30. The vaccination coverage in the district is about 85% for HCWs who received their first dose.

However, experts are of view that the government should not withdraw providing quarantine for HCWs on active Covid duty.

“In case any HCW contracts the infection, he/she may pass it on to family members and even to relatives and friends. This will result in spread of the infection. So, HCWs should be given hotel quarantine facility,” said Dr Ashish Agarwal, president, Indian Medical Association -- Ghaziabad.

The district is starting with Covid duty for HCWs with opening up of the Sanjay Nagar district hospital as an L2 category Covid facility on April 1. Under the UP government’s three-tier Covid health-care setup, the L2 category hospitals are meant for Covid-19 patients having mild or moderate symptoms. Besides, Santosh Medical College, an L3 category hospital, is already in operation and meant for patients requiring critical care.

“All the HCWs on Covid duty will be required to make stay at home. Also, last year, HCWs over 55 years and those having comorbid conditions were not assigned Covid duties. This time, they will be assigned duties as they have received vaccine against Covid-19,” said Dr Sanjay Teotia, chief medical superintendent of the Sanjay Nagar hospital.

He said that the hospital treated about 1,900 patients from March 2020 to February 2 this year. “None of our patients succumbed to Covid-19. We resumed as non-Covid facility on February 3 this year and we will resume as dedicated Covid hospital from April 1. We have 100 beds that include 20 beds with ventilators and six high flow nasal cannula. All the 100 beds have oxygen facility,” Teotia added.

The hospital is also serving as a vaccination centre and the function will now be taken up at the emergency ward of the hospital, the officials said.