KATHMANDU: With the increase in the coronavirus infection cases in the country, the front-line workers including the health workers have been adversely affected by it.

The number of health workers getting infected at COVID Hospital in Kathmandu Valley has been increasing for the past few days.

As many as 76 health workers of COVID Unified Hospital, Bir Hospital Kathmandu have been living in home isolation till Monday.

According to Dr. Prajwal Shrestha, Deputy Director of the hospital, despite the high number of infection cases among the health workers, the hospital has been striving its best to ensure the service is not much affected by it.

He told Khabarhub that the hospital has extended the contract period of the staffs to ensure that there will be no shortage of manpower.

“In coordination with the Ministry of Health and Population, we have extended the contract period of the temporary staffs to ensure there will be no shortage of manpower,” Dr. Shrestha said.

Similarly, to make the service more effective the hospital has introduced a toll free number open 24 hours a day. The number will be used to provide information on corona infection.

Deputy Director Shrestha informed that people can get information about the entire treatment of coronavirus by calling at 1133.

“If there is no place for home isolation at home due to coronavirus infection, come to Bir Hospital and we will provide necessary service here,” he said.

In the first and second wave of COVID-19 MoHP used this number.

In terms of the number of coronavirus cases among the health workers, TU Teaching Hospital (TUTH), Maharajgunj stands at the top list.

According to COVID-19 Focal person of TUTH Dr. Niraj Bam, more than 100 health workers working in different wards of the hospital have been infected with coronavirus now. He informed that 26 patients are undergoing treatment against coronavirus in the General Ward, 10 in the ICU and 10 in the HDU.

The hospital has closed its medical ICU service after noticing infection in the health workers.

Likewise, according to Nava Raj Gautam, the information officer at the Shukraraj Tropical and Communicable Diseases Hospital, five health workers have been infected at the Teku Hospital.

Similarly, Dr. Jitendra Shrestha, the focal person of National Ayurveda Research and Training Center informed that five health workers are infected in his hospital as well.

How is govt responding?

The infected health workers are being treated at home isolation and hospital.

Most of the infected patients have symptoms like fever, sore throat and cold. There is a shortage of health workers in the hospital after the health workers started getting infected.

According to Dr. Sameer Adhikari, the Joint Spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population, the government has taken steps to prevent shortage of health workers in the hospital.

He informed that the government has extended the tenure of contracted health workers to prevent the shortage of health workers.

“The contract period of the health workers and employees has been extended from Mid-January to a maximum of three months as per the requirement,” Dr. Adhikari said.

The government has decided to give a booster dose to the frontline liner deployed in Corona control from Sunday.

Booster dose being administered from Sunday

Front-liners and public sector workers have been vaccinated with booster doses from Sunday. Those who have been fully vaccinated for 6 months have been given a ‘booster dose’ from the vaccination centers in operation and new vaccination centers added for the purpose.

Joint Spokesperson Adhikari informed that booster dose is being given to 949,887 people. Health workers and employees of the health institution, all security personnel, sanitation workers, ambulance and hearse drivers, women health volunteers, and employees of Tribhuvan International Airport will also get booster dose.

“Government employees, people working in community service delivery organizations, banking services, media personnel, public transport drivers and co-drivers will also be vaccinated with the booster dose,” he said.