Punjab starts temporary recruitment of docs, staff as ‘paid volunteers’
CHANDIGARH: As a contingency plan against the disease, Punjab health and family welfare department has decided to temporarily recruit doctors and other paramedical staff as paid volunteers. Applications were invited stating earlier this week (March 23) for specialists, MBBS doctors, ayurvedic doctors, staff nurses, pharmacists, radiographers, laboratory technicians, ANMs and ward attendants. The department plans to select candidates by the second week of April, if the need arises.
Till Friday noon (the latest figure available), over 600 specialists, 15 super-specialists, 13 medicine specialists, 408 MBBS and 176 ayurvedic doctors had registered themselves on the website of the State Health Agency that runs the Ayushman Bharat scheme. The website to register is doctors.shapunjab.in
National Health Mission director Kumar Rahul said applications were being registered with preference of districts.
“Their services will be availed, as per need, at the district level depending upon the situation,” he said.
“Since the advertisement for recruitment of staff nurses and other paramedical staff came out only on Friday, the number of registrations in these categories will be known by next week,” an official said, adding, “If the outbreak happens, the present staff would not be enough. A large number of back-up staff would be needed at every post.”
The state has identified 20 isolation facilities with cumulative bed strength of 2,708 beds for isolation of positive patients; it plans to raise this to 5,000 by next week.
“In all, 889 ICU beds and 387 ventilators are available in government and private facilities for care of critical patients. If the need arises we don’t want to leave any question on our preparedness,” state health minister Balbir Sidhu said.
PMC ISSUES WARNING
Amid reports that a few medical practitioners were not co-operating with the government on work related to covid-19, the Punjab Medical Council (PMC) has warned its members of serious consequences of such behaviour.
“It has come to the notice of the PMC that some medical practitioners are neglecting and refusing duties of patients related to covid-19. Such unethical refusal by doctors would not to tolerated,” the council has said in its March 27 order.