The Ministry of Health and Family welfare on 15th May 2020 has issued Advisory for managing Health care workers employed in COVID and Non-COVID areas of the hospital and it provides guidance on preventive measures, isolation, and quarantine of health care functionaries.
The ministry has directed the healthcare facilities to activate their Hospital Infection Control Committees (HICC) which would be responsible for implementing the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) activities and for organizing regular training for staff. 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 shall ensure that all Healthcare workers in different settings of hospitals use PPEs appropriate to their risk profile and undergoes training on IPC is aware of common signs and symptoms, need for self-health monitoring, and prompt reporting of such symptoms.
Provisions for the regular (thermal) screening of all hospital staff should be made and the nodal officer shall ensure that all healthcare workers managing COVID-19 cases are provided with chemoprophylaxis under medical supervision.
Further, All the Healthcare workers must report every exposure to COVID-19 to the concerned nodal officer and HoD of the concerned department immediately and the Nodal Officer/Head of the Department will form a sub-committee to assess the level of exposure and the risk as per assessment.
Click here to read the Notification.
