BMC asks private medical practitioners to issue fitness certificates to migrant workers

In order to avoid crowding at civic-run clinics and hospitals and ensure social distancing, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Sunday issued a circular

In order to avoid crowding at civic-run clinics and hospitals and ensure social distancing, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Sunday issued a circular allowing private clinics and nursing homes to issue fitness certificates to migrant labourers and those stranded in the city.

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Having a medical fitness certificate is one of the mandatory criteria required to be fulfilled for migrant labourers willing to go back to their hometowns amid nationwide lockdown. The move comes after a huge crowd of migrant workers was observed outside Bhabha Hospital among other civic hospitals and clinics on Sunday.

The Mumbai Police had earlier started distributing forms to migrant labourers and those stranded in the city. However, several private clinics and nursing homes were reluctant to issue fitness certificates in the absence of clarity or guidelines from the BMC for the same.

The civic body on Sunday issued a circular prescribing a format in which all civic-run and private medical professionals are expected to issue a medical fitness certificate. The circular reads, “All registered medical practitioners practising in Mumbai can issue such certificates after taking history and clinical examination of the persons wishing to travel that he/she does not have influenza-like symptoms.”

The circular added, “For identification of persons please check any government identity card and keep hard/soft copy for record. Regular patients should be treated on priority.”

After the Central government announced the evacuation plan for migrant workers, all state governments were asked to have a standard operating procedure for the allowing of travel. However, in Mumbai, the migrant labourers were facing issues as private practitioners were not issuing medical certificates.