A nurse who was six months pregnant died yesterday of Covid-19, prompting furious questions from the public and civic groups of her employer, the state-run Ganesh Das Hospital.
Health and Family Welfare Minister AL Hek has sought details into the unfortunate death.
There have been conflicting details about Turnia. Some quarters have said that Manisha Turnia had reportedly requested leave but the hospital management denied her request. However, opposition MLA and chairperson of the Assembly committee on women empowerment, Ampareen Lyngdoh, said that she has been told by Turnia’s family that the nurse did not request leave because she assumed it would be denied as the hospital was facing a staff shortage.
Therefore, she continued working despite a notification earlier this month from the state government that exempted pregnant women from working due to the added risks they face from the coronavirus.
She started to feel unwell last week and was then admitted in the very same hospital in which she worked and tested positive for Covid-19. Turnia’s condition, however, deteriorated drastically yesterday and she suffered from breathlessness before passing away.
Lyngdoh said that she has shared her concerns regarding this incident with all concerned officials, including the Chief Minister, Speaker, Health Secretary and she will convene an emergency meeting of the women’s empowerment committee.
Meanwhile, Director of Health Service, Dr Aman Warr, informed that the nurse was not on Covid-19 duty but was in the general ward.
Although the government had exempted workers from duty if they are pregnant, Dr Warr said that this is difficult in the health sector because there is no option of working from home. “That is a challenge we always face as health workers, right from the doctors down up to the health workers, and we cannot 100 percent say that we will never get infected,” he stated.
The DHS also informed that the family of the deceased nurse will receive an insurance payout of Rs 50 lakh under a central government scheme for health workers, besides ex-gratia payment and other facilities from the state.
Turnia’s death has drawn sharp reactions among the public. Today, the Hynñiewtrep Integrated Territorial Organization (HITO) demanded an immediate inquiry into the events that led to the death of Turnia.
In a petition to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, HITO blamed a “lackadaisical attitude”, “apathy and lack of dedication” of the nurse’s superiors, “who seemed oblivious for reasons best known to them of the victim’s plight”, HITO president Donbok Dkhar said while demanding compensation for Turnia’s family.
Workers’ Power of Meghalaya (WPM), a federation of trade unions and workers associations, also noted the death of Turnia as well as that of a NEIGRIHMS nurse earlier in the month, Badaphun Rapsang.
WPM general secretary Kenneth Swer said that the organisation was concerned by reports from health workers that they are being overworked because of a shortage of staff. This, he said, “leads to overwork and extension of working hours beyond the legally mandated working hours of the workers, which in effect leads to exhaustion and increased risk for the health workers.”
Swer also wanted to know whether hospital authorities are ensuring the provision of adequate PPE and other materials, proper accommodation for those on Covid duty, transportation for healthcare workers considering the lack of public transport due to the lockdown, etc.
Meanwhile, Ka Sur U Paidbah Ka Bri Hynniewtrep (KSUP) has shot a letter to the Chief Secretary, MS Rao, on the death of the nurse, asking that government departments strictly follow the notification to exclude pregnant women from work.
