Exhausted healthcare workers taking a break in Tuensang on May 23.
Vishü Rita Krocha
Kohima | May 28
“We receive at least 200 phone calls a day. Our numbers are given in most of the CMO Control Rooms and there is no specific timing. Whenever a COVID-19 positive case is detected we have to do contact tracing, go to the field, come back to office, compile data to send to Kohima, which is time bound reporting.”
This is what a typical day looks like in the life of an epidemiologist, posted in a far flung district of Nagaland since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the surge in positive cases, a doctor who did not wish to be named said that “the stress level is much higher.” “Now, I roughly sleep for about 4-5 hours, and have to take calls even at midnight.”
These calls, he said, are from patients under home isolation, civil society, church, colony representatives, etc. “Even while eating, I receive about 30 calls on an average. We cannot reject any calls since all of them come as emergencies,” he added. Dealing with all these calls, he went on to say that “at the end of the day, we do not want to talk to our family members also.”
During this kind of outbreak, the epidemiologist stated, “it is our responsibility, but this pandemic is beyond our control. It has been going on for months and months and if it goes on for more years, I am afraid, we will not even have time to meet our families,” he said. “Honestly, since last year, I have not even been with my family,” he added.
The doctor further said that in surveillance activities, the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) staff in any district, comprising of an epidemiologist, one data manager, and a data entry operator are the backbone. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak they have been working day and night to maintain a strong surveillance system besides making other sacrifices.
According to him, most epidemiologists have been serving for at least 6-7 years. In some districts, epidemiologists are the district nodal officers for COVID-19 which means additional responsibilities involving planning and everything in this regard.
“The amount of work we are doing now, and the wages we earn is not justified,” he stated while pointing out that “IDSP is handling all kinds of contact tracing, surveillance activities, data managing, reporting…even Sundays we do not get holiday.”
“Everybody is working but we are feeling the extra burn,” he shared. Asserting that they should be at least given ‘job security’, he expressed disappointment that the government is not doing anything about it. He further cited that the salary of new recruits cannot be compared to IDSP Staff.
Recently, 40 medical officers were recruited on temporary basis for a period of one year in the Pay Matrix of Rs 56,100 to Rs 1,77,500 with a view to effectively tackle the pandemic in the State. 16 medical officers have further been recruited with a fixed pay of Rs 72,832 per month on temporary basis for a period of one year. Whereas, a recent advertisement was issued on May 4 for filling up a vacant post of Epidemiologist under the IDSP which carries a salary of Rs 42,000 per month.
As per the job criteria, the Doctor expressed that they cannot claim for regularization although in some States, they have been absorbed. “We are not even chasing for regularization but all we are asking is to at least do justice to our salary,” he appealed.
