Taking serious note of the reports that health care workers are not getting a bed in their respective hospitals, higher-ups of the Health Department have taken notice of the issue and ordered necessary strict directions to the authorities concerned, which marks a victory for healtcare workers.
After the shocking incident of Dr. Manish Jangra, who was denied a bed in his own hospital, came to light, higher authorities on Tuesday issued directions to provide beds to health care workers on priority.
Dr. Jangra had to struggle for four long hours to get a bed for himself at Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital, where he himself serving as a doctor, reports say.
On Tuesday Dr. (Prof.) Rana A.K. Singh Director and Medical Superintendent of SML Hospital issued an order to give beds to health care workers on priority.
HCWs to be given priority
"This has been brought to the notice of the undersigned that Health Care Workers of this hospital who are performing round the clock duty during this pandemic are contracting COVlD 19 Infection. When they are falling sick, they are not able to get a bed in COVID Ward. Needless to say, that this will have a very negative impact on the commitment and psyche of these Health Care Workers. Hence it is decided that when a Health Care Worker of this hospital needs admission, they should be admitted on Priority. We have to save these saviors," reads the order.
Notable attention of Dr. M.P. S Chawla, COVID In-charge RML Hospital Delhi, was especially drawn towards the order by the issuing authority. Dr. Chawla had denied all charges of Dr. Manish and called him a case of 'psychiatric disorder'.
"It is a victory of the struggle of all health care workers", Dr. Jangra told International Business Times, adding, "hospital managements should give priority to the health care workers of their respective hospitals". He said that this step would boost the morale of those who are working round the clock to treat patients.
Not only higher-ups of RML hospital have issued directions, Additional Medical Superintendent, Safdarjung Hospital, Dr. R K Shrivastva has also issued similar circular that all categories of health care workers of the hospital should be treated/admitted in the hospital on a priority basis.
Important to mention here that after the video of Dr. Jangra has gone viral, another doctor Aditya Gupta had expressed his helplessness to get a bed for his ailing veteran father in the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi, where he himself has served for the last decade.
