Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has taken a number of steps to improve wellbeing of healthcare workers managing COVID-19. Few of the actions taken in this regard include:

• With the launch of COVID-19 vaccination initiative on 16^th January 2021, Healthcare workers were identified as one of the first priority group. State Governments/ UT administrations have been repeatedly urged to ensure that the medical professionals engaged in Covid related work are suitably vaccinated.
• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare provided guidelines on Infection Prevention and Control practices to the State Governments to minimize the risk of infection to healthcare workers.
• For high-risk exposures, healthcare workers are provided with a quarantine period initially for one week and thereafter taking the profile of the health worker a decision to be taken for further period of one week. An advisory to this effect for managing health care workers working in COVID and Non-COVID areas of the hospital was issued by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on 18^th June 2020.
• MoHFW on 18^thJune 2020, as per directions issued by Hon’ble Supreme Court in a batch of writ petitions and in exercise of powers delegated under section 10(2) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, States/UTs have been directed to ensure that salaries of doctors and healthcare workers during COVID-19 related duties shall be released on time.
• Ministry of Health & Family Welfare in consultation with Department of Personnel Training has also directed State Governments to consider quarantine period of healthcare workers as ‘on duty’.
• Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has also issued direction to the Chief Secretary of the States/Union Territories on provision for accommodation facilities for quarantine of healthcare workers. States/UTs were also advised to explore various rostering options.
• In the context of COVID-19, the Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 was promulgated on 22^ndApril 2020. Further this ordinance was brought before the Parliament has been passed and notified on 29^thSeptember 2020. The amendment provides for safety and security of Health care Service Personnel (HSPs) from acts of violence.
• Life insurance benefits (Rs. 50 lakhs to 22.12 lakh healthcare providers) are provided under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP): Insurance Scheme for Health Workers Fighting COVID-19. The benefits under the said scheme have been extended w.e.f. 21^st October 2021 for a further period of 180 days.

 

The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar stated this in awritten reply in the LokSabha today.

 

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HFW/PQ/Steps Undertaken for the Wellbeing of COVID Warriors/10^thDecember2021/9

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