Gujarat: Resume responsibility or face motion, placing medical staff advised

Directing panchayat-level well being division staff to renew responsibility, who’ve been observing an indefinite strike because of the non-payment of salaries, the state well being division on Monday warned that if staff proceed to be absent from work, punitive motion will likely be taken in opposition to them.
Stating that “the possibility of an increase in Covid-19 cases cannot be ruled out,” Gujarat Health Commissioner Jaiprakash Shivhare stated that it’s crucial that docs and different healthcare staff carry out their responsibility, particularly for the reason that vaccination drive is at present underway.
The well being commissioner additional directed panchayat-level healthcare staff, who’ve been observing an indefinite strike, to renew responsibility “immediately and unconditionally.”
If the staff proceed to strike regardless of the commissioner’s order, legal proceedings will likely be initiated underneath the Epidemic Diseases Act, with district collectors empowered to take appropriate motion. District improvement officers have additionally been directed to take disciplinary motion in opposition to absentee staff and take into account their days of absence as service break.
Shivhare added that if the strike continues, it could disrupt not solely common well being companies supplied, but additionally make it troublesome to conduct the vaccination drive since healthcare staff themselves are the primary precedence group for receiving the immunisation photographs.
Several districts resembling Aravalli and Banaskantha witnessed disgruntled well being staff lacking their vaccination in protest of the non-payment of salaries, which has remained pending since November. Many of them had declared indefinite strikes beginning January 15.
Meanwhile, Gujarat reported 495 new circumstances of Covid-19 on Monday and discharged one other 700 sufferers, with two deaths reported throughout Gujarat — each from Ahmedabad metropolis. This is the bottom day by day surge for the reason that second week of June, with Ahmedabad metropolis reporting fewer than a 100 circumstances.
As per information supplied by the state authorities, Ahmedabad district presently has fewer than 500 sufferers admitted in hospitals for Covid-19 remedy. At Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, fewer than 100 sufferers are at present admitted.