Treat quarantine period of doctors to be ‘on duty’, directs Health Ministry

August 11: Doctors and health workers involved in COVID-19 duty have to go for instituitional quarantine as per protocol after a fixed number of days duty in the COVID ward. In some cases, it was seen that such doctors and health workers who are quarantined, are being treated as on leave. However, the Union Health Ministry now has asked all states and Union Territories to treat the quarantine period of doctors and heath workers as “on duty.”

Infact, the Supreme Court on 31 July had asked the Centre to ensure that the salaries of doctors and health workers involved in covid-19 duty are paid on time and their mandatory quarantine is not treated as leave. In a letter to the chief secretaries of the states and Union territories, directors of all the AIIMS and directors and medical superintendents of central government hospitals dated August 6, Joint Secretary in the health ministry Lav Agarwal has said the quarantine period of doctors and health workers for their duties related to COVID-19 shall be treated as “on duty”.