BANGALORE: The Centre has issued an alert on the spread of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) from passengers arriving from Middle-Eastern countries at Bangalore and Mangalore International Airports.
Health and Family Welfare Minister U T Khader said suitable measures would be taken to keep tabs on those arriving from the Middle East.
“State officials are in constant touch with the authorities of both the airports and arrangements will be made to help infected passengers avail medical treatment,” he said. Ten beds will be kept ready exclusively for the infected patients at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Chest Diseases in Bangalore and five at the district hospital in Dakshina Kannada, he said.
Clarifying that it is only a precautionary measure being taken against the spread of the disease, the Minister said there is no need to panic as no cases have been reported so far in the state.
He also said the state government is taking measures to recruit over 1,500 doctors and over 2,500 nurses across the state on a temporary basis and their services will be regularised after completion of three years.
Outlining the measures taken by the department to attract MBBS graduates to work in state-run hospitals, he said there is a proposal to upgrade the salary scale of MBBS doctors to that of Assistant Commissioners and PG doctors to the scale of senior KAS officers.
Stating that the government would approach the KPSC for the recruitment of doctors and nurses, he said the posts of auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs) and Group-4 staff would be filled directly.
Referring to the transfer of staff in the department, he said, “We will scrupulously adhere to the guidelines issued by the government. We will try and make sure that husband and wife work in a same place during the transfer process,” Khader said.