Kerala HC asks Centre, State govt to consider bringing back COVID-19 affected Malayali nurses

Kerala High Court has asked the Centre and State government to look into a petition seeking to bring COVID-19 affected Malayali nurses back to Kerala from other States considering their "poor health and working conditions".

A Division Bench of Justice Devan Ramachandran and Justice TR Ravi on Friday, while hearing a petition filed by the United Nurses Association (UNA), asked the Centre and State to look into the matter and slated it for further hearing on April 28.

"In view of the urgency raised by petitioner, we hereby direct the respondents to look into this matter immediately as the plight of the nurses in Delhi, West Bengal, and Maharashtra is extremely critical," the court said.

The petition had raised concerns that Malayali nurses in other States such as Delhi, Maharashtra, and West Bengal are working in alarmingly dangerous environments.

The plea said that tests are not being prescribed by doctors to nurses showing symptoms in order to force them to work and even after days or weeks after a test is prescribed, the same is not done.

"A dearth in the number of healthcare workers would only make it more difficult to fight the virus. The nurses are working in alarmingly dangerous environments which give them exposure to the COVID-19 virus," the plea said.

It said that the UNA has already given a representation to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the matter and while the online petition has been accepted, no effective steps have been taken to bring back the nurses.

( With inputs from ANI )