ZP will rotate staff to overcome shortage of health workers at Ambegaon Jumbo facility

PUNE The Pune rural administration has reported a shortage of health workers, including doctors, specifically at the Jumbo Covid facility at Avasari Khurd in Ambegaon tehsil

PUNE The Pune rural administration has reported a shortage of health workers, including doctors, specifically at the Jumbo Covid facility at Avasari Khurd in Ambegaon tehsil.

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According to officials, this situation has because contracts of Covid health workers have ended. Also, doctors appearing for the National Eligibility Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET PG 2021) on September 11 are on leave.

Officials from the Zilla Parishad (ZP) said that the arrangements are being made to ensure Covid patients suffer no inconvenience.

On Thursday, home minister Dilip Walse-Patil held a meeting with the ZP administration to review the situation, especially at the Avasari Khurd Jumbo Covid facility.

“I have been instructed that the required staff can be arranged through a rotation system. We will issue the orders,” said Ayush Prasad, CEO, ZP Pune.

“The new doctors are being appointed by the state government and will be joining this week. We are deputing them to the Avasari Khurd facility and the Wipro hospital, because these are two centres which require extensive staff. Also, we are drawing out staff from regular duties on a rotation basis. For example, if somebody is posted at a primary health care centre then s/he will work at the Covid facility for a week,” said Ayush Prasad.

Pune ZP had hired 2,000 contractual staff members in March and April. According to sources, the state government directed the ZP to let contractual staff employed for Covid-19 go, as the central government had not approved required funds for the same.

Between June and August, Pune ZP ended the contracts of 1,551 health workers.