Delhi Cong demands emergency allowance for corona warriors

New Delhi: The Delhi Congress has demanded special emergency allowance for frontline corona warriors including doctors, nurses, para medical staff, sanitation workers, police personnel, Corona positive patients and other patients who are fighting against Coronavirus.

In a letter to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Congress President Anil Chaudhary wrote that the party is with the government in the fight against the deadly virus but highlighted the shortcomings.

“In Lok Nayak Hospital, nurses who were asked to quarantine themselves after treating COVID-19 patients have been provided accommodation in the same building that houses both infected patients as well as those displaying symptoms. But instead of offering single rooms with attached bathrooms to the nurses, who have all been in close contact with Covid-19 patients, the hospital has asked two nurses to share a room,” the Congress alleged.

“Doctors and nurses are assaulted and misbehaved in Vishnu Staff Nurse of Action Balaji Hospital by Delhi Police,” Chaudhary added.

The state unit of the Congress alleged that Coronavirus patients are not being treated effectively due to the lack of facilities and testing kits. Other patients are facing difficulty to have treatment of their diseases. PPE kits are not available to all the doctors and nurses who are in immediate contact with the Coronavirus patients.

“The nurses should be given proper accommodation; for instance, stay in hotels or one separate room with attached bathroom and that too near the hospital. In this regard, Delhi Government Hospitals and their Federations have been continuously demanding for the accommodation in Hotels nearby to their hospitals but nothing has been done. Thus the nurses should be provided good quality accommodation like in Hotels with food along with adequate security on the line of Doctors so that they may live there and can quarantine themselves away from their family members”, he said.

The party demanded security for doctors and Nurses and explained the problems of Corona positive patients and said, “The Coronavirus positive people are kept in bad conditions and are not treated properly, even left without attendants, they are also not getting proper care and treatment, like Doctors and attendants are not visiting them”.

“The Corona positive patients and those who have been quarantined should be provided counselling services to prepare them psychologically to undergo treatment or quarantine.”

The party alleged that there are less than 100 ventilators in the hospitals which are designated for COVID-19 treatment by Delhi Government. This number is very less in the ratio of surging of Coronavirus cases in Delhi and for god’s sake if, the virus spreads at the Community Level, the situation may go out of control, rendering thousands of people to suffer. The ventilators in large numbers should be purchased immediately and made available for effective treatment, the party said.

The party demanded proper treatment to patients other than corona positive patients and alleged that there are reports that the patients with serious conditions have been waiting outside Delhi Government’s GTB at East Delhi, Ambedkar Hospital at Rohini and GB Pant Hospital.

The party slammed the Chief Minister for not giving time to the Congress to highlight the issues and said even the LG did not meet them.