Srinagar, May 17: (GNS) The National Health Mission Employees’ Association (NHMEA) has sought exemption from Covid duties in favour of doctors and paramedics suffering from comorbidities who are at higher risk.
“The authorities are requested to make sure that lives of doctors and paramedics suffering from diseases like diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, heart ailments or other non-communicable diseases are not put at risk by deputing them to duties at Covid Care Centres or Covid hospitals”, said NHMEA President Muneer Andrabi, in a statement issued to Srinagar-based news agency Global News Service (GNS).
“We request the administrators to also exempt healthcare workers who are pregnant and those who are nursing mothers from duties which involve direct contact with Covid patients”, he added.
He further said that such employees’ services can be utilized for non-Covid duties in other hospitals to safeguard their lives.
“It is a humanitarian issue. Also there have been advisories across the world where co-morbid and high-risk health workers have been kept off direct Covid-19 dealing”, he added.
Meanwhile, the Association has urged the government to release Covid incentives in favour of NHM employees at par with other employees. “We are meagerly paid and due to lockdown our expenditures in the shape of conveyance etc have shot up”, the Association president said, adding that they have approached higher authorities for the same.” We are hopeful of a decision in this regard soon”. (GNS)
