J&K govt creates system to help families of frontline staff working to contain COVID-19

The Jammu and Kashmir government on Thursday established a system to help the dependents and families of healthcare personnnel, government officials and frontline staff engaged in managing the outbreak of COVID-19 in pursuance of a recent High Court order. Principal Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Shailendra Kumar appointed Mission Director-Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) Shabnam Shah as nodal officer to monitor the cases at the Union Territory (UT) level, an official spokesman said.

At the district level, the principal secretary appointed district social welfare officers (SWOs) as nodal officers to facilitate family members, old-aged persons and persons with disabilities (PwD). Kumar directed all grievances registered through emergency helpline number 112 to be readdressed by him whenever necessary.

The chairpersons of child welfare committees were also nominated as nodal officers at the district level in cases of children who need care, protection and counselling, the spokesman said. The Jammu and Kashmir High Court had on Saturday sought a report from the administration on the availability of safety equipment for healthcare professionals and ensuring the families of healthcare and government employees engaged in the fight against COVID-19 are taken care of.

The court also called for considering the possibility of running 24x7 canteens in all health institutions to enable provision of necessities to the healthcare and other personnel engaged in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic..

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