As many as 276 doctors have urgently been hired in Kerala to join the state's fight against the coronavirus disease, according to state Health Minister KK Shailaja.
The doctors have been chosen from the Kerala Public Service Commission rank list. All 276 doctors have received their appointment orders after job interviews over video conferencing on a single day.
The minister informed the media that other para medical staff would also be hired in a similar manner.
The Health Department has been preparing to face the challenge of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases with the urgency of fighting a war, said a press release from the minister's office. Apart from the coronavirus positive cases, those in home quarantine who show serious symptoms of the disease or develop other illnesses will need to be treated in isolation rooms. The Health Department had envisaged a plan A, plan B, plan C procedure much earlier, to be ready if the situation got worse.
As many as 6,000 isolation beds have been prepared through the several phases. Apart from this, 21,866 people could be accommodated at COVID-19 care centres, developed for the purpose. In every phase of the plan, (A for initial stages, then B and finally C), the number of doctors and nurses and other hospital staff put in charge of the disease care would increase. Medicines, protective equipment, ventilator support and other requirements would also be increased. As part of this plan, a number of new doctors were now hired, the minister added.
Minister Shailaja said earlier that if people took all the precautions and followed social distancing as advised by the Health Department, then COVID-19 could be ‘fought off’ in the Plan B phase. However, if proper caution is not exercised and it led to community spread, then the state would need to adopt Plan C.