[COVID-19] Uttarakhand HC Directs Govt To Ensure Safety And Welfare Of All Health Workers In The State

i) Respondent no. 3 and all the District Magistrates shall ensure that PPEs are provided to the frontline Corona warriors, i.e., doctors, nurses and other medical staff while collecting samples and also during treatment of Corona affected persons.

ii) The State Government shall ensure that all the Health Care Workers, i.e., doctors, nurses and other medical staff, who are unable to visit their respective residences, shall be provided nutritious food, items of daily need, clean apparels and accommodation in close proximity of their work places where they are attending and treating the Corona affected patients, if such facilities are not already being provided to them.

iii) The District Magistrates of all 13 districts shall ensure that none of the medical officers, nurses and medical staff shall avoid the use of PPEs. The direction issued by the Government of India in its Circular dated 12th

iv) Respondent nos. 2 and 3 shall ensure the implementation of the Guidelines issued by the World Health Organization under the heading "Corona virus disease (COVID 19) outbreak: rights, roles and responsibilities of "Health Care Workers', including key considerations for occupational safety and health". April, 2020 shall be complied with strictly and any violation of said circular by any of the Medical Officers or medical staff shall be considered as act of indiscipline.

v) Respondent no. 3 and all the District Magistrates of the State of Uttarakhand shall look into the grievances of Health Care Workers in their respective Districts. However, the Medical Officers and the medical staff, if aggrieved, may raise their grievance before the State Government instead of approaching the Media.

vi) Respondent no. 3 and all the District Magistrates shall ensure maintenance of law and order in their respective districts. They shall ensure the safety of Medical Officers, nurses and other medical staff, including drivers and attendants of the ambulances, by providing adequate police protection to them as and when they are asked to take into custody any suspected Corona affected person for treatment to the hospital or for quarantine purposes.

vii) Respondent no. 3 and all the District Magistrates shall identify the sensitive areas where there is likelihood of any violent action being taken by the public against the frontline Corona warriors, including the police personnel and to take appropriate preventive measures to ensure that no harm is caused to the frontline Corona warriors / public safety.

viii) The State Government shall ensure availability of essential commodities to residents of the areas which are declared as hot spots or where curfew has been imposed.

ix) Respondent nos. 2 shall ensure the compliance of the directions issued to respondent no. 3 as well as 10 to all the District Magistrates of the State of Uttarakhand.

x) State Government shall organize awareness campaigns using mobile vans equipped with loudspeaker among the general public to make them aware of the outbreak of Corona pandemic and its rapid spread, more particularly in the sensitive areas.