Cancellation of the institutional quarantine facility has put the life of the frontline health workers and their families in danger in the country amid pandemic, experts said, urging the government to immediately restore the facility.
An institutional quarantine of 14 days is necessary in line with guidelines of the world health organisation (WHO) and others as a standard method after discharging duties at COVID-19 dedicated healthcare facilities.
The government, however, cancelled the facility after allegations of corruption come to light over the allocation and its expenditures, said insiders.
Shahed Rafi Pavel, head of the Bangladesh Doctors' Foundation (BDF), an association of doctors, told the FE on Saturday that “the residential facility (hotels) for the doctors working at the dedicated healthcare facilities are needed for health grounds to ensure the health safety and security and to know whether a health worker infected with the virus during providing treatment to patients.”
Besides, if such quarantine is needed otherwise “family members of the front-liners could be infected where their old-age parents and children do live,” he added.
The National Technical Advisory Committee on COVID-19 in its 17th meeting held virtually on Wednesday chaired by the head of the committee Professor Dr Mohammad Shahidullah advocated for the facility to continue.
The experts' committee said that the recent government moves to suspend the institutional quarantine facility for doctors has brought difficulties for the frontline fighters in pandemic.
Health workers, including doctors, need to have quality and institutional quarantine after performing their duties in the hospital, otherwise, not only the health workers but also their families could be infected with COVID-19, it observed.