Jammu and Kashmir has announced special financial incentives for over 17,000 physicians, nurses and other staff and extended the services of retiring doctors who are in the frontline of the battle against the Covid 19 pandemic.

Resident doctors, medical officers, paramedical and nursing staff, drivers and Class IV employees of the health and medical education department would get the financial incentive from May. Initially, the incentive will be for a period of three months.

Resident doctors, post-graduate trainees and medical officers will get Rs 10,000, while nursing and paramedical staff will be given Rs 7,000 per month. The incentive for drivers, sweepers and attendants will be Rs 5000 per month.

Announcing the incentives, Lt Gov Manoj Sinha said although the services rendered by the Covid warriors cannot be compensated, the decision was taken to incentivize their efforts.

Because of the surge in Covid 19 cases, Sinha also granted an extension up to December 31 to faculty members, consultants and other doctors working in Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, government medical colleges and health department who were scheduled to retire between May and November.
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Sinha directed the district administrations to speed up the vaccination drive, besides intensifying testing and contact tracing across the union territory.

(SAM)