As cases spike in Chennai, hundreds of new doctors appointed

As cases spike in Chennai, hundreds of new doctors appointed

As four government hospitals in the city are filled fully, the Health Department is trying to add additional beds and appointing more doctors.

Published: 11th June 2020 04:00 AM | Last Updated: 11th June 2020 04:00 AM | A+A A-

For representational purposes (Photo | PTI)

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The robust health infrastructure of Tamil Nadu is now bursting at its seams. With a whopping 1,927 new cases being reported on Wednesday, of which 1,392 were in Chennai, the requirement for hospital space is becoming a serious issue. As four government hospitals in the city are filled fully, the Health Department is trying to add additional beds. It is also appointing more doctors and paramedics to tackle the continuing spurt in cases. 

On Wednesday, Health Secretary Beela Rajesh handed over appointment letters to doctors recruited for Covid duty at the Directorate of Medical Education campus. A press statement claimed the government had appointed 574 postgraduate non-service doctors on a monthly salary of Rs 75,000 and 665 MBBS doctors on a monthly salary of Rs 60,000. The department also appointed 365 lab technicians on a monthly salary of Rs 15,000 and 1,230 multi-purpose health workers on a monthly salary of Rs 12,000. All the persons have been appointed on contract basis for three months.

More deaths

Among the deceased, four had no co-morbidities. The youngest among the dead was a 38-year-old man from Chengalpattu, who died at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital on Monday, a day after testing positive. The State also tested 16,667 people on Wednesday. The number of persons who were discharged from hospitals stood at an impressive 1,008, pushing up the number of recovered cases across the State to 19,333. The death toll across the State now stands at 326 and active cases, at 17,179.