• Preference for appointment against regular govt posts
• Cost of COVID treatment for HCWs to be borne by govt
Kohima, May 22 (MExN): The Government of Nagaland has announced incentives for health care professionals including final year and intern students of various medical professions engaged in clinical and non-clinical non-COVID duties in the state, in a bid to “augment, and meet the immediate needs for healthcare workers for COVID-19 duties.”
A notification issued by State Chief Secretary J Alam on Saturday stated that “The State Government recognizes the services of healthcare professionals performing COVID-19 duties, both in the government sector as well as the private sector; and also recognises the need to increase the availability of health care workers for performing COVID-19 duties,” in both the sectors.
As such, it delegated the power to engage final year and intern students of various medical professions on temporary basis for clinical and non-clinical non-COVID duties for a period of up to 3 months, for which the health department’s Principal Director has already issued directions. It stipulated an “initial upper limit of 30 students for Kohima and Dimapur and 10 each in other districts subject to the districts ensuring that equivalent additional existing staffs is deputed for COVID duty in each of the district.”
Specifying the stipend to be paid to various categories of students (See Table), the notification stated that “the budgetary allocation for 2020-21 and as available in the Civil Deposit, for the purpose of stipend would be initially used, and would be sub-allocated to the Chief Medical Officers of the respective districts as per their requirement immediately.”
Further, the notification stated that “preference, in the form of up to 25% of the total marks,” depending on the length of COVID duties rendered, would be given to health care workers who have worked on COVID-19 duties in government or private COVID facilities for at least 100 days, “for appointment against regular Government posts for any post recruited through NPSC, NSSB or Departmental Recruitment Board during the years 2021 and 2022.”
Detailed instructions in this regard will be issued in consultation with P&AR department separately, it added.
For in-service medical officers, it stated that “Preference for study leave for undergoing further studies will be given to HCWs who have rendered at least 100 days on COVID-19 duty and have qualified the entrance examination,” while adding that amendments in the Study Leave rules for this purpose would be issued separately.
Additionally, the notification also stated that any healthcare worker engaged for at least 100 days for the management of COVID-19 patients would be entitled to remuneration above 25% of the entry level salary of respective grade of employees.
The state government also informed that the cost of medical treatment for healthcare workers who contract COVID-19 while on COVID-19 duty in private hospitals would be borne by the government on the same pattern as for government employees.
The notification, it said, has been issued after obtaining concurrence of the Finance department and with the approval of the Chief Minister, Nagaland.
Earlier on May 11, the government, in recognition of the risks faced by healthcare workers involved in COVID-19 duties, had announced an additional amount (ex-gratia) of Rs 10 lakh for all health care workers working in Government Hospitals and Health Care Centers, and private hospitals over and above the Rs 50 lakh under the Government of India’s Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) Insurance Scheme for health workers fighting COVID-19.
