SC asks govt to ensure payment of salaries to docs, health workers

The Supreme Court today asked the Centre to issue directions to states for payment of salaries and providing necessary quarantine facilities to doctors and healthcare workers engaged in treating COVID-19 patients.

New Delhi:The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Centre to direct all states to ensure that doctors and front-line health workers engaged in the fight against COVID-19, are paid their salaries and provided with quarantine facilities.

A bench of justices Ashok Bhushan, S K Kaul and M R Shah asked the Centre to issue directions to states for payment of salaries and providing necessary quarantine facilities to doctors and healthcare workers engaged in treating COVID-19 patients.

The bench asked the Centre to issue the compliance order by tomorrow.

The bench also observed that doctors and the health workers who come in contact with COVID-19 positive patients should be quarantined for a week initially.

Agreeing with the bench, the Centre told the court that it will modify its earlier May 15 order which did away with mandatory quarantine for all healthcare workers and said that it will issue a new order making seven days quarantine mandatory.

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Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, also informed the court that the Centre has issued a circular regarding payment of salaries and now the chief secretaries of the states have to ensure the payment.

The top court asked the Centre to file a compliance report within four weeks on payment of salaries and quarantine facilities to doctors and healthcare workers and warned that non-compliance would be viewed seriously.

The bench was hearing a plea filed by a private doctor raising questions on the Centre's May 15 decision that 14-day quarantine was not mandatory for doctors.

(With inputs from agencies)