HYDERABAD: The Senior Resident doctors of Telangana Institute of Medical Sciences (TIMS) started boycotting on Saturday demanding quarantine leaves and the TIMS Director issued a press release saying that the provision of quarantine leaves has not been advised by the Government of India advisory dated June 18, 2020.
During the lockdown period and for a little while after that, the healthcare workers in government hospitals were provided with quarantine leaves in between their COVID-19 duties, to reduce risk of catching infection for them and their families. However, in the advisory dated June 18 the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare mentioned that quarantine is not warranted for any healthcare worker apart from those who face high risk exposure.
On Saturday, while speaking to the media, Director of Medical Education had said that the quarantine leaves have been cancelled and action will be taken against anyone who does not follow the norm and protests against it.
The press release said that quarantine leaves were given initially during the lockdown period but now it has been removed as it is not advised. It added that all precautions to prevent infection among health care workers are being taken in TIMS, including provision of PPE kits, N-95 masks, surgical gloves and sanitizer to all the staff performing Covid-19 duties.
It also said that TIMS has an Hospital Infection Control Committee (HICC) which is responsible for implementing the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures.
Further, it said that salaries till October 2020 have been paid to all contractual staff (faculty doctors, medical officers, staff nurses and paramedical staff) and that the Senior Residents have also been paid their stipend.