ESIC hospital diktat: Only three-day home isolation for Covid positive docs
New Delhi: In a blatant violation of guidelines issued by the Union Health Ministry, Faridabad-based ESIC Medical College and Hospital has allowed just three-day home isolation for its healthcare workers after being tested Covid-19 positive in RT-PCR test.
As per Union Health Ministry's recent guidelines on home isolation, mild, asymptomatic Covid-19 patients have been advised to remain in home isolation for seven days. Earlier, the home isolation period for mild, asymptomatic Covid patients was of 14 days.
The worst is that symptomatic healthcare workers cannot get themselves tested for Covid-19 and if they are found to be indulging in this practice, they would have to pay Rs 1,500 for undergoing an RT-PCR test of their own.
As per the circular issued by Dr Asim Das, dean of the ESIC medical college, symptomatic cases to undergo Covid-19 RT-PCR only after approval by designated associate professors Dr Nikhil Verma and Dr Nidhi Anand and assistant professor Dr Praneet Ansal, which is in contravention of testing advisory issued by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
"Healthcare workers who are reported positive as per the RT-PCR report from ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Faridabad after due permission from the concerned officers would be entitled for three day home isolation only," the circular said, adding that after three days of isolation, report on duty with proper Covid appropriate behaviour.
Notably, ICMR, in its latest testing advisory, has stated that individuals with symptoms of cough, fever, sore throat, loss of taste and/or smell, breathlessness, and/or other respiratory symptoms need to be tested for confirmation of Covid-19 infection.
Commenting on the issue, Dr Manish Jhangra, who is general secretary of Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), said, "Such a circular issued by a senior doctor appears very inhuman in nature as the life of healthcare workers has been put on the stake. The home isolation period must be of seven days instead of three days."
"Healthcare workers cannot be treated like animals. They also have all the right to avail medical care in accordance to Covid protocols issued by Health Ministry," he said.
