No Financial Help for Treatment on Skipping Covid-19 Vaccination, Says Punjab Govt
As per the Punjab government, healthcare professionals and other frontline medical workers who skip Covid-19 vaccination will not be granted any financial help from the authorities for treatment purposes, if they get infected later. Furthermore, the state government has announced that such healthcare professionals and frontline workers will not be allowed to take quarantine or isolation leave.
In a recent statement, Balbir Sidhu, Health Minister, Punjab said, “Such healthcare workers who do not receive coronavirus vaccination to boost their immunity, even after being given repeated opportunities and if get the infection afterwards will have to bear the expense of their treatment from their own pocket. Also, we will not allow them to take any kind of quarantine or isolation leave”.
It must be noted that novel coronavirus cases in Punjab have increased in the past few days. As of now, the rate of vaccination among healthcare workers is low. Reports suggest that so far 2.06 lakh healthcare workers and 1.82 lakh frontline workers have registered for coronavirus vaccination. However, only 79,000 or 38% healthcare workers and 4,000 frontline workers have been vaccinated.
The Health Minister also stated that there is a serious need for all healthcare workers to get vaccinated so that any unexpected situation can be handled. He furthermore stated that Punjab is one among the six states where covid-19 cases are increasing. Mr. Sidhu also emphasised the need for Covid-19 appropriate behaviour. He asked everyone to follow social distancing guidelines, wear masks, sanitise hands and maintain respiratory etiquettes.
Earlier, February 19 was the last date for getting the first dose of the covid-19 vaccine for healthcare workers. Now, the date has been shifted to February 25.
The government, in the first vaccination phase, plans to immunise 3 crore health workers and frontline workers. Later, 27 crore people who are above the age of 50 years or have comorbidities will be vaccinated.
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Disclaimer: This article is issued in the general public interest and meant for general information purposes only. Readers are advised not to rely on the contents of the article as conclusive in nature and should research further or consult an expert in this regard.
