STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The Assam State Branch of Indian Medical Association (IMA) has strongly the government's order of engaging health workers and doctors in 11 days continuous service in the COVID wards and thereafter only three days of quarantine before re-engaging them in COVID duties subject to testing negative for the disease. It has also opposed the government's decision to switch over to antigen tests for checking health workers engaged in COVID duty. Further, it has demanded a critical review by the State government as to why so many health workers and doctors are affected by COVID-19.
In a letter to Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the IMA, Assam State Branch said the ICMR has already mentioned that this antigen test is less sensitive and a negative test does not rule out COVID, moreover requires confirmation of the negative status by a PCR test.
On the State government's order on the roster, the association said in the letter, "It does not require to mention that working in COVID wards continuously for 11 days wearing full PPE kits and in this torrid summer, without air-conditioning in most centres, would be very much exerting and exhausting; and IMA fears the government's decision will demoralize the frontline workers."
The Health & Family Welfare Department on July 6 issued an order stating that a medical team attending to COVID-19 patient duties shall perform duties normally for a period of 11 days, and thereafter undergo COVID-19 Antigen rapid testing. On the test result being negative, a team member shall undergo institutional quarantine for three days, before resuming COVID-19 related duties.
It further said, "With the present surge of COVID-19 patients it will be difficult for the government to control the situation if proper planning is not done."
The Association underlined that increasing hospital beds without manpower planning will be futile exercise as the State has very limited resource in terms of doctors and health workers.
It also advised the government to take experienced healthcare professionals and groups in confidence in proper planning to face the challenges rather than taking closed door and whimsical decisions. Otherwise the much talked about successful Assam model will collapse in no time, it added.