The State government has assured to provide treatment to Health department personnel and their families affected by COVID-19 at NIMS and TIMS.
Health Minister Eatala Rajender said that steps would be taken to set up 50 beds in NIMS exclusively for the Health department personnel enabling timely treatment for emergency cases. The Minister assured that the demands of the health sector workers, frontline warriors in tackling COVID, would be taken to the notice of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and efforts would be made to resolve them at the earliest.
Mr. Rajender held discussions with representatives of healthcare professionals including the paramedical staff on their demands on Thursday. The associations were demanding that the government pay ex-gratia of Rs. One crore to COVID warriors who die discharging their duties and treatment of workers and their families at facilities like the NIMS.
The Health department officials assured them that the government was actively considering on providing ₹50 lakh insurance coverage for those who succumbed but the compensation would be based on the condition of the persons concerned. The Minister who held detailed discussions with the representatives of the unions assured them that the government would evolve solutions to the issues raised by them.
Mr. Rajender said he would represent the issues pertaining to award of ex-gratia to families of patients who succumbed to the virus with the Chief Minister. The issue of promotions of the staff would also be resolved soon after consultation with the CM. The government would seek proposals from the heads of respective departments so that there was no delay in processing them. “We are firm on evolving a permanent solution to the issue,” the Minister said.
He said the initiatives launched by the government had ensured that there was significant decline in fatality rate in the State and steps had been taken to provide necessary treatment including medicines to the affected patients free of cost.
