Government shuts CCCs, terminates staff; Covid warriors fume
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, March 25 2022:
The state government on Friday ordered the Directorate of Health services to close down all Covid Care Centres (CCC) in the state and terminate service of staff engaged for Covid related duties.
According to the order issued by deputy secretary (Health and Family Welfare) Soiminlian Lengen, the Directorate of Health Services is to close down all existing CCCS in the state except for CCC RD Wing Lamphelpat, effective immediately.
The CCCs at Lamboikhongnangkhong and Bal Bhavan will be closed down but the buildings will be cleaned and retained and all furniture/equipment safely stored for future operations.
All inmates, if any, at CCCs are to be shifted to CCC RD Wing.
The health director and CMOs are to make necessary arrangements in hospitals and government health centres for managing existing and fresh Covid cases.
Meanwhile, all contract/daily wage staff engaged by the Directorate of Health and in the districts by CMOs/MSs will be disengaged/terminated with immediate effect.
The health director is to take up necessary action for managing Covid cases with regular staff.
Additionally, the health director must provide a detailed report on engagement of existing contract/daily wage staff beyond any disengagement /termi-nation, the order conveyed.
On the other hand, the doctors, nurses and multi-tasking staff (MTS) who were engaged for Covid related duties, have strongly rejected the termination and demanded withdrawal of the order.
After the termination order was issued on Friday, doctors, nurses and other staff who were engaged on daily wages, stormed out of the CCC opened at Bal Bhavan, Khuman Lampak and staged a protest.
Speaking on the sidelines, nursing officer S Rajasana denounced the government for the sudden termination of their engagement without providing any prior information.
Rajasana remarked that the termination order was issued after it was backdated.
The nursing officer continued that the doctors, nurses and MTS who were contracted/engaged on daily wages, are sincerely work to help treat and care for the people since the pandemic began in 2020, despite the risks exposed to their own lives and stigmatisation by the public.
However, instead of appreciating their efforts, they are being discarded following improvement in Covid-19 situation in the state.
Thus, Rajasana appealed to the government to withdraw the order and make alternative arrangements for the doctors, nurses and MTS, while cautioning of launching intense agitations in case a positive response is not given.