The Supreme Court on Wednesday, 17 June, asked the Centre to issue directions to the states for payment of salaries to doctors and healthcare workers treating COVID-19 patients, PTI reported.
Hearing a petition filed by a doctor, calling for separate quarantine facilities and timely payment of salaries for healthcare workers and doctors treating COVID-19 patients, the apex court called for a compliance report to be filed within four weeks on the issue on issue of salaries, warning that non-compliance would be viewed seriously, reports said.
The bench also observed that healthcare workers dealing with COVID-19 patients should not be denied quarantine facilities.
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that the central government had already issued a circular saying that salaries must be paid to doctors and other healthcare staff, adding that the chief secretaries of states must ensure this. Any violation of this will attract punishment, he said, reported ANI.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI.)
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