Minister of Health and Family Welfare C Vijayabaskar on Saturday told reporters that the Tamil Nadu government has appointed additional 2,000 nurses, on a six-month temporary basis, in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu district government hospitals. The 2,000 are in addition to the 4,893 nurses who have been recruited across the state, the Minister informed. Minister added that the nurses will be paid a salary of Rs 14,000 and they’ve joined work with immediate effect. This 2,000 will be split as 400 per hospital in the four districts.
Minister Vijayabaskar added that 40 to 60 speciality doctors have been appointed in different hospitals for COVID-19 treatment. The bed strength too is being improved in hospitals, he added.
Minister added that 254 mobile medical teams have been deployed with doctors, nurses, lab technicians and paramedical staff across all zones in Chennai. “They will cover all areas in the city and will immediately tend to all people. Fever clinics will be set up. Patient shifting, monitoring of patients too will be done. There is no chance to miss any case,” the Minister said.
Notably, earlier last week nurses from Omandurar Medical College Hospital in Chennai, the city’s exclusive COVID-19 hospital, protested outside the campus demanding additional workforce. The government responded by deputing about 20 nurses immediately from non-COVID-19 hospitals.
According to reports, Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner G Prakash has said that the entire city will be put under quarantine, including those who test negative, in a phased manner in the coming days. He also admitted that their earlier containment plan was not successful.
“About 10,000 families will be put under 14-day quarantined every day. In six quarantine cycles, covering 1.5 lakh houses each day, we can cover the entire city,” he has said.
Commissioner G Prakash explained that there are 16 types of people being quarantined in the city, including those coming into the state from other places, patients who tested positive, extended contacts of COVID-19 patients, etc. He added that a total of 5,000 volunteers have been deployed across the 40,000 streets in the city, with every five streets having one dedicated volunteer posted exclusively for quarantine monitoring