Following the guidelines of Union Health Ministry, the Delhi Government on Tuesday issued an order on measures to be adopted by healthcare workers deployed in Covid and non-Covid areas of hospitals.
The Union Health Ministry had on Friday issued an advisory, asking healthcare facilities to activate their Hospital Infection Control Committee (HICC), which is responsible for implementing the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) activities and organizing regular training on IPC for its workers.
The nodal officer will be identified to ensure that healthcare workers in different settings of hospitals use PPEs appropriate to their risk profile, as detailed in the guidelines issued by the ministry, and they have undergone training on IPC and are aware of common signs and symptoms, need for self-health monitoring and prompt reporting of such symptoms, a government official said.
The official further said that the move is taken as preventive measures after the Health Ministry issued guidelines on various measures including isolation and quarantine for healthcare workers deployed in Covid and non-Covid areas of hospitals.
According to health ministry advisory, a nodal officer (Infection Control Officer) shall be identified by each hospital to address all matters related to Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs).
The nodal officer also has to make provisions for regular (thermal) screening of all hospital staff and ensure that all healthcare workers managing COVID-19 cases are provided with chemo-prophylaxis under medical supervision, the ministry had said.
The advisory also suggested on actions for healthcare workers. “They need to ensure that all preventive measures like frequent washing of hands/use of alcohol-based hand sanitisers and respiratory etiquettes (using tissue/handkerchief while coughing or sneezing) are followed at all times.
It also asked healthcare workers to follow social distancing and use masks to prevent transmission or acquiring infection."
Pregnant/lactating mothers and immuno-compromised healthcare workers shall inform their medical condition to the hospital authorities for them to get posted only in non-Covid areas," the advisory said.