Vijayawada: Public health workers to get personal protection equipment

Vijayawada: After nearly two weeks of struggle and fight, the public health workers who are working in the red zone areas in the Urban Local Bodies will get personal protection equipment (PPE) with good quality and high standards.

The State government issued the orders in this regard asking the Municipal Commissioners to procure quality suits, gum boots and goggles for the convenience and protection of public health workers, who are working in hazardous conditions in the corona affected areas.

More than 30,000 public health workers are working in the municipal corporations and the municipalities in the State. After the outbreak of Covid-19, the State government has announced 133 areas as red zones in 11 districts of Andhra Pradesh. Special measures are being taken in the red zone where coronavirus positive cases are reported to check the spread of virus. Spraying of bleaching powder and sodium hyper chloride is underway.

Most of the work is done manually by workers and drones are being used in some places like Vijayawada for spraying. Nearly 50 workers faced some health problems due to working in hazardous conditions.

So far, the gloves and masks supplied are of low quality and unsafe, alleged some workers.

Keeping in view the problems being faced by public health workers, the Commissioner of the Department of Municipal Administration and Urban Development G Vijay Kumar issued orders to the local bodies to procure good quality PPEs. Andhra Pradesh Municipal workers and Employees Federation State general secretary K Umamaheswara Rao has said the health of the public workers needs to be protected.

He has demanded that the government give special allowance of Rs 10,000 to each worker as they are working in dangerous conditions and prone to the disease related to lungs.

Umamaheswara Rao has also demanded that the government should provide transport facilities and arrange food, drinking water and other facilities to the public health workers. Nellore, Kurnool, Krishna, West Godavari and Guntur have the highest number of red zones.