Seven-day work diktat riles up Health Department employees

Mysore/Mysuru: Instructions from the Centre to vaccinate people above 45 years of age on all days and cancelling all Government holidays of the current month has not gone well with healthcare workers. They contended that they too need a day’s break to spend time with their family and to rewind from the hectic and tiring vaccination schedule.

“We are also human beings and we too have families. Public holidays are used for fumigation and cleaning of medical equipment. Without fumigation how can it be used,” questioned a healthcare worker on condition of anonymity.

He pointed out that healthcare workers have been working day and night ever since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. Their responsibility increased after vaccination drive  for healthcare workers, frontline workers, people above 60 years of age and persons over 45 years with comorbidities and now for citizens above 45 years of age, was launched. “We have reached saturation level and cannot think of working without a break.”

Medical emergency: Senior Health Department officers are convincing the agitated staff to treat the current situation as a medical emergency and work even on public holidays in the wake of huge spike in Corona positive cases in the State. 

As there are nearly 1.66 crore people in 45 plus age category, Government wants to ramp up vaccination drive to protect people from the pandemic. The disgruntled workers were making calls to their Department bosses to convey their dissatisfaction over the Government’s decision. “We are convincing them to work in public interest as the Government wants save us from the pandemic,” a health officer said.

DC’s video conference: Meanwhile, Mysuru DC Rohini Sindhuri held a video conference with all District and Taluk officers last evening to convey the Government instructions of vaccinating people above 45 years of age on all days. In view  of this, all holidays has been cancelled.

Reviewing the progress, she said that as many as 8 lakh persons have to be vaccinated in the district for which beneficiaries need to be identified. Till recently, they were vaccinating 10,000 persons daily, but now the target has been doubled. 

“With sudden increase in COVID positive cases in the district, vaccination needs to be streamlined. For a brief period, vaccination had stopped due to shortage of vials. But the district has enough stock of vaccines now. RT-PCR test must be accelerated and vaccinate as many as people,” she added.

The Deputy Commissioner  has appointed senior officers of various branches of Health Department, a Nodal Officers of all Taluks to manage the vaccination drive. Each one must co-ordinate with Taluk Health Officer to increase the number of vaccination. 

Tahsildar and Executive Officer must go to every village to visit crowded places to scout for vaccine beneficiaries. Then they must be taken to nearby vaccination booths. The District Administration wants to complete vaccination of 8 lakh beneficiaries by the end of April.

The meeting was attended by Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Dr. B.S. Manjunathaswamy, District Health Officer Dr. T. Amarnath, Mysuru Tahsildar Rakshit, Women and Child Development Deputy Director K. Padma and Dr. L. Ravi, COVID-19 Vaccination Nodal Officer for Government Hospitals who is also Reproductive & Child Health Development Officer.