Odisha to engage 7,000 health workers in Covid Care Homes at panchayat level

Bhubaneswar: In a bid to provide better health care facility to COVID-19 patients in the state, Odisha government has approved the proposal for temporary engagement of 7,000 trained manpower for Covid Care Homes, covering 6,798 Gram Panchayats in the state.

A notification regarding this was issued by the Health Department, Wednesday.

The official order read: “In view of the rapid spread of COVID-19 in the country and detection of large number of positive cases in the State, Government have proposed to establish Covid Care Homes/Covid Gruhas in each Panchayat of the State. For smooth management of these COVID Care Home, it has become necessary to augment the health work force in the State.”

“The newly recruited trained and registered ANMs will manage the base-level health activity in these Covid Care Homes. For the purpose, it has been decided to engage at least one unemployed ANM per each proposed COVID Care Home in each Panchayat,” added the notification.

However, the state government will engage unemployed registered Staff Nurses or Pharmacists in case this category of manpower (unemployed ANMs) is not available.

“The state government has a fix remuneration of Rs 850 per day for ANMs, in case of their unavailability, staff nurses or pharmacists will be engaged at a remuneration of Rs 1000 per day,” mentioned the order.

The engagement shall be made on the following terms and conditions:

1. The engagement is purely temporary for a period of 3 months only or till Covid Care Homes are functional.
2. The engagement is terminable at any period of time without assigning any reason thereof. The engagement does not confer any right on the engagee for any future engagement or regularization of such appointment.
3. Their engagement shall be done by respective CDMO and PHO through walk-in-interview in a transparent manner with proper advertisement, depending on the number of Covid Care Homes in their respective district.
4. The remuneration shall be Rs 850 per day.
5. In case of non-availability of ANMs, the trained staff nurses or pharmacists may be engaged alternatively with daily remuneration of Rs 1,000.
6. The ANMs will be engaged as per number of Covid Care Homes to be opened in the respective district.

PNN