SC disposes of plea on safety of medical personnel; Dedicated helpline number to address concerns of medical warriors: SG Tushar Mehta

The Supreme Court today disposed of a plea filed by a Kerala-based nurses' association raising questions on government efforts to deal with the health and safety of medical personnel in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.A three-judge Bench of Justices NV Ramana, Sanjay Kishan Kaul and BR Gavai disposed of the plea after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured the Court that a dedicated helpline number would be put in place for medical staff..SG Mehta stated that the helpline number could be used to address concerns raised by healthcare workers regarding non-availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), salary cuts, eviction by house owners, etc..He also stated that any grievance raised over the helpline will be addressed within a span of two hours. After these assurances, the Bench disposed of the matter..The nurses' body had approached the Supreme Court saying that the government has not formulated a National Management Protocol for COVID-19 to address the serious concerns relating to imminent and extreme risks posed to the health and safety of medical personnel across the country..Noting that the pandemic is seeing a “persisting and ever escalating spread”, the United Nurses Association, represented by Advocates Subhash Chandran and Biju P Raman, pointed out that nurses and health workers are ill-equipped and exposed to infection..“Health care workers are at the front line of the COVID-19 outbreak response and as such are exposed to hazards that put them at risk of infection. Hazards include pathogen exposure, long working hours, psychological distress, fatigue, occupational burnout, stigma, and physical and psychological violence etc,” the petition said..Some of the issues faced by the frontline COVID-19 warriors include lack of availability or sub-standard PPEs in numerous hospitals, non-availability of sufficient number of COVID-19 testing kits, lack of training on infection prevention and control, and lack of basic facilities in isolation wards. Added to these were allegations of mental harassment in the nature of forced overtime, negligible transport facilities, deduction of salary on account of leaves, and health workers who are pregnant, lactating or with a weak immune system being forced to work..The association had also urged the Court to direct the government to expand the scope of personal accident cover provided under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package for health workers fighting COVID-19. This cover was prayed to be extended to all healthcare workers across sectors, including those recruited on an ad hoc basis..Read Order