Healthcare Workers as Coronavirus Warriors

NEW DELHI: The Centre has informed the Supreme Court Wednesday that healthcare workers are coronavirus warriors and it will provide a specific helpline number for redressing their grievances such as salary cuts, delayed payment, non-availability of protective kits or eviction from rented accommodation.

With this explanation, the bench of Justices N V Ramana, S K Kaul and B R Gavai disposed of a batch of petitions including that of the United Nurses Association (UNA) seeking to formulate a National COVID-19 Management Protocol for addressing the serious concerns relating to imminent and extreme risks posed to the health and safety of healthcare workers throughout the country.

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Advocate Subhash Chandran K R, appearing for UNA, said nurses and healthcare workers belonging to the association are working in over 400 private hospitals of the country and many of them have either faced salary cuts up to 50 per cent or delayed payment.

The counsel also pointed to other allegations of mental harassment in the nature of:

• Forced overtime
• Negligible transport facilities
• Deduction of salary on account of leaves
• Health workers who are pregnant, lactating or with a weak immune system being forced to work

He said that due to the lack of proper safety equipment, around 150-200 nurses have been infected with COVID-19 or coronavirus and over 600 to 700 healthcare workers are in quarantine.

Chandran contended that besides health hazards, many nurses and healthcare workers are also being asked by their landlords to evict the accommodation for working close to coronavirus patients.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said healthcare workers in the country are coronavirus warriors and the government is taking all necessary steps to address their grievances.

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