Umerkot residents urge health dept to take notice of untrained staff at Covid-19 center

Collection of samples and vaccination against Covid-19 has become itself a threat for the residents of Umerkot in the hands of untrained volunteers and grade four employees, The Reporters has learnt.The health department has around 70 volunteers on 600 per diem per day, but most of them often remained absent from duties leaving thousands of local residents vulnerable to untrained staff. The employees were hired by the department for miscellaneous work like data entry and other related technical works.

However, the center management reportedly handed them the task of vaccination and collection of samples, which is a clear violation of the department protocols.Local residents told this correspondent that the untrained volunteers neither asked about the health history from visitors nor following Covid-19 SOPs   Naheed Pathan, a local resident, said that a grade-four employee Qasid Ali Sher was supervising the affairs at the sample collection point and he wasn’t following the instructions and protocols.He didn’t follow the method of oropharynx and nasopharynx during collection of swabs of the person, Pathan said.

However, according to sources, trained and skilled medical and paramedical staff appointed by the department during Covid-19 has been transferred to far-flung areas.

Dr Manoj when asked said the pandemic act doesn’t allow the health department to transfer staff to run operations in OPDs.Another doctor named Dr Gulab said some doctors deployed in far-flung areas earlier having in grade 17 drawing hard area allowance of 90000 and risk allowance of 35000, grade 18 drawing hard area allowance 140000 along risk allowance of 35000 have been put on deputation in Umerkot city on work assigned under political patronage.He said personal protection equipment, bought during the pandemic, have been gathering the dust but not used, adding that whenever the health minister or any high authority makes a visit, PPEs are used.

District Health Officer Dr Arjun Kumar agreed that the isolation center for collection of samples is at a wrong point and it can affect more people who visit the eye section of the hospital. He further said they don’t have any vacant and separate premises to shift the center. He also agreed that some doctors who were transferred to far-flung areas of desert have been put on deputation in the city as they need them in the hospital.

Dr Kumar said staff hired during the pandemic have been posted to far-flung areas because there is no emergency and covid-19 threat anymore.