Tamil Nadu CM Stalin announces incentives for frontline healthcare workers

Days after being sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin announced incentives for medical professionals in the government sectore who are on the frontlines fighting the second wave of the pandemic. Stalin announced that healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses and other support staff, will be given incentives for three months for their work.

From April to June 2021, the government will offer Rs 30,000 each to doctors treating COVID-19 patients, Rs 20,000 each to nurses and Rs 15,000 each to other workers in COVID-19 wards. Additionally, Rs 20,000 will also be given as incentives to PG students (house surgeons) and trainee doctors to motivate them.

Further, the Chief Minister also announced a compensation of Rs 25 lakh each to the kin of the 43 doctors who lost their lives fighting COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu.

In August 2020, the Indian Medical Association had issued an official statement that 43 doctors had died in Tamil Nadu treating COVID-19 patients. However, the AIADMK government and then Health Minister C Vijayabhaskar had dismissed this data, which was tweeted by DMK Youth Wing Secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin.

To increase oxygen support capacity for patients in the second wave, the government is procuring oxygen concentrators from countries such as Singapore and China. In Chennai, the Greater Chennai Corporation will set up 100-bed centres in three regions to admit patients who require oxygen support. Patients who have oxygen saturation levels of 90-92 and need oxygen support will be admitted here.

Chennai is also expected to receive 3,500 oxygen concentrators. Oxygen concentrators have been allocated to the city’s big hospitals dedicated to COVID-19 care including Stanley, Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and other centres.

Eighty oxygen concentrators would be installed at the Communicable Diseases Hospital in Tondiarpet, 50 at the Stanley Medical College Hospital, 33 at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, 40 at Meenakshi Engineering College and 50 at the King Institute in Guindy. Forty concentrators would be set up at the Chennai Trade Centre. The corporation will also shift COVID-19 patients who are not very ill to the Chennai Trade Centre next week.