Health workers on Covid duty denied postal voting in Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: When the Covid-19 patients are being provided with facilities for voting in the local body polls, the doctors and other healthcare workers who are treating them are denied of this constitutional right. Even when the various categories of employees who are involved in election work are given permission for postal voting, the doctors and the healthcare workers have been denied even the postal ballots. Those who are in the Covid-19 duty at the hospitals, first and second line treatment centres will not be able to cast their votes since they have been asked to remain in their respective centres even during the polling day.Same is the situation with the doctors, nurses and other para medical staff who have been deployed for Sabarimala duty. They have also been denied permission for postal voting.“As per the order of the state election commission, various categories of staff involved in election related works were given permission for postal voting. Unfortunately, we are not granted this facility. As most doctors are involved in Covid-19 response activities and in election related works, they are required to be present in their parent institutions continuously especially during the day of poll,” said Dr Joseph Chacko, state president of Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA).The guidelines for health department in relation to “voting by Covid-19 active positive electors and electors in quarantine” issued by the health services department instruct that hospital superintendents of major hospitals and medical officers in charge of primary and community health care centres, including those in charge of first line and second line treatment centres, should be available in the institutions all through the election day.“We had written to the state election commission and also to the government that most doctors working in the state health services department will be deprived of their constitutional right for voting unless the order is modified to include the doctors of state health services engaged in Covid-19 duty. However, there has been no assurance on this yet,” said Dr G S Vijayakrishnan, state secretary of KGMOA.“It is very strange that even the patients have been given the right to vote but the health workers are not. When all the government officials who are involved in the poll duty are given the postal ballot facility, only the health workers are being denied this,” added Dr Vijayakrishnan.