Ensuring Workplace safety during the COVID 19 Pandemic: Experiences of a Healthcare Organization.

Abstract

The COVID 19 Pandemic which started as a small outbreak has spread exponentially across the globe causing more than 2.9 million confirmed cases and has placed unprecedented demands on our health system. As the health workforce and resources are currently being directed towards activities related to controlling the pandemic, the essential health services are getting compromised. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India took many significant decisions to enable delivery of health care services by leveraging technology using Telemedicine and Health Helplines in such times of crisis to avoid overwhelming tertiary healthcare facilities. Every organization working in Health care has set up policies to ensure safety at the workplace and also sustain essential health care service delivery through use of technology.  In this article we share our experiences on the various measures taken in our health care projects to ensure safety of our staff at the workplace, continuing service delivery through leveraging technology and challenges in continuation of health care delivery in community outreach projects in time of COVID crisis.