Doctors' body seeks accommodation for home quarantine

The Federation of Resident Doctors' Association India (FORDA India), on Sunday wrote to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain, demanding separate accommodation for the Resident Doctors of various hospitals, who have been advised for home quarantine.

The Association stated that the "provision of separate accommodation facilities for home quarantined doctors will be an important precautionary measure to control the spread of the virus."

Speaking to IANS, FORDA president doctor Shivaji Dev Barman said, "Through this letter we want to raise a very important issue faced by doctors. Recently, many doctors have tested positive for COVID-19 and their primary contacts which are mostly other resident doctors and colleagues, are advised for home quarantine. Many of them are anxious regarding this."

Barman further elaborated the issue to IANS, "Many resident doctors live in hostels allotted in the hospital campus while others stay in their homes. There are family members in their homes like elderly parents and children who are most vulnerable to this disease. The doctors themselves might be the source of infection for their own family members."

He also added that doctors who are staying in the hostels, share common mess and washrooms, etc. with other residents. Therefore, it is very important to provide a separate accommodation for the resident doctors who are primary contacts till they test negative for the virus.

"There is no separate guideline currently for the accommodation of the primary contacts, other than home quarantine," said Barman, adding "we need to safeguard our healthcare workforce in the battle against this invisible enemy."

The Association has urged the Health Ministers for taking this matter on an urgent basis.