Lack of protective gear raises scare for workers in Jaipur

TNN | Updated: Apr 6, 2020, 06:05 IST

A road being disinfected by fire personnel in Walled City on Sunday

JAIPUR: Lack of proper masks, gowns and eye gear is creating safety scare for health workers in sensitive areas of the city.
These workers are performing their duties in many Coivd-19 hotspots of city. While, the Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) has announced to purchase 300 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), the number is far too less. The officials claim the kit will be provided to workers who are being deployed in Ramganj which is declared as hotspot of the city. However, providing PPE to all would remain a challenge.
Sanitation workers alleged no kit has been provided to the workers till date. They are collecting garbage from the houses, hospitals and market areas where possibilities of infection prevail.
Geeta Devi, who has been deployed in Galta Gate area, said, “Our area is adjoined to the Walled City. There are narrow lanes and people remain off roads most of the time. Before the curfew, many people from this area had travelled to areas in Walled City. The government should provide PPE as it is risky for us to work in such conditions,” she said.
Another sanitation worker Mukesh Bapulal said, “No proper protection equipment could be one of the reasons for infection among workers. The government should consider this request seriously,” he said.
A JMC official said the workers were provided Rs 1,000 to buy gloves, mask, sanitizers after the urban development and housing (UDH) department directed the local bodies. “The PPE kit is an essential preventive healthcare utility and each kit includes a surgeon gown, a face mask, gloves, a preventive eye wear, a hood cap and a shoe cover. It helps reduce the risk of infection to workers attending to the infected persons. Providing PPE to all the workers could take time as there is acute shortage,” said an official.