Hyderabad: Nature Cure Hospital finally adopts quarantine roster

Hyderabad: Following a report published in The Hans India about the issue of not implementing duty roster of medical and paramedical staff at Nature Cure Hospital, the hospital management resolved the issue by adopting the system.

The Hans India had highlighted that doctors and other medical staff working at Nature Cure Hospital in Begumpet were working without quarantine roster, in violation of quarantine norms laid down by the government. On Sunday, hospital Superintendent Dr Bhavani and nodal officer Dr M Shayamala issued a quarantine roster to be implemented from Monday for the medical staff at the hospital.

The State government in June had passed an order of quarantine roster system for medical staff to contain the spread of Coronavirus. The order is being implemented by all the hospitals including Gandhi Hospital which are treating Covid positive patients, however, Nature Cure Hospital was has been not maintaining the roster.

"After the report was published, the hospital authorities had issued the quarantine roaster system and it was implemented and started from Monday," said a doctor. He said according to the order issued, the staff was divided into two batches, one batch would work from July 20 to July 26, and would be quarantined from July 27 to August 2. During this quarantine period, the second batch would work and go for isolation arter that. The staff of 43 doctors would work in rotation, he added.

Telangana Medical Joint action Committee (TMJAC) state president, Dr P Sudhakar said that even after the quarantine roster system is implemented, the duty duration of medical staff is not clear. "There should be six hours duty a day for the doctors at all Covid treating hospitals, but under new rotation system each doctor has to work for 8 hours a day. Earlier, in 2 weeks, doctors were doing 60-hour duty with one week off, but now in this roster system each doctor is performing duty for 56 hours in a week," he pointed.

He said even the lady doctors were being deployed in night shift of 9 hours, which is against the norms. It is strictly mentioned that no lady doctor has to work after 6 pm and before 6 am. "Why the quarantine roster system in Nature Cure hospital is against the Covid norms passed by the Government," asks TM JAC general secretary Dr Ateeq Ahmed Khan.