Coronavirus: Nurses ask for rotation of duty after 14-day shift in Covid wards

Coronavirus in India: The letter was written after 22 nurses who had completed one rotation were asked to report for the second round of duty Tuesday onwards at Rajiv Gandhi Superspeciality hospital, the second-largest Covid-19 hospital in the city.

Nurses who have completed one rotation of the 14-day duty in the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) wards and 14 days’ quarantine should be moved to other duties so that they can go home, said a letter written to Delhi’s health secretary by the All India Government Nurses Federation.

Covid-19 in India: Around 47 doctors, nurses and technicians posted for the first 28-day cycle in the Covid-19 ward at Rajiv Gandhi Superspeciality hospital in mid-March were from other Delhi government hospitals. (Sonu Mehta/HT PHOTO)

The letter was written after 22 nurses who had completed one rotation were asked to report for the second round of duty Tuesday onwards at Rajiv Gandhi Superspeciality hospital, the second-largest Covid-19 hospital in the city.

These nurses had been drawn from various hospitals in the city to staff the 200-bed hospital.

“If the same batch of nursing officers are posted to the Covid-19 wards for many months continuously then their children and family will suffer. The families (of the nurses being posted again) have to wait for another month or maybe more if a proper policy is not framed. This will lead to stress and mental agony among the nursing personnel,” says the letter, a copy of which is with the HT.

Around 47 doctors, nurses and technicians posted for the first 28-day cycle in the Covid-19 ward at Rajiv Gandhi Superspeciality hospital in mid-March were from other Delhi government hospitals.

“The government should create several such teams of nurses. Once they work in the Covid-19 ward they should go back to their original postings so that they can be with their families while the next team takes over,” said nurse GK Khurana, Secretary-General of All India Government Nurses Federation.

The hospital administrator, BL Sherwal, said “The postings are done by the government. They are not our staff and we are just utilising their services. If the government sends us another batch of nurses, technicians and doctors then we will be happy to arrange such rotations. Our own staff have also been given a similar shift.”

The organisation, in another letter to the union health secretary, has asked the government to reserve beds in Covid-19 hospitals for healthcare workers.

“We have been receiving reports from across the country of healthcare workers testing positive for the infection. The government must ensure that they receive proper care and we have suggested reserving around six or eight beds in Covid-19 hospitals for healthcare workers,” said nurse Khurana.