In the wake of the second wave of COVID 19 pandemic, the Housing & Urban Development Corporation Ltd. (HUDCO) has been committed to ensuring the health and safety of its serving and retired employees and their families. An important initiative in this direction was an on-site COVID vaccination programme, organised at its corporate office at India Habitat Centre, for about 300 individuals. HUDCO management’s decision to include contractual staff in the vaccination drive, benefitted
the housekeeping, security and other service staff serving the organisation, apart from the employees and support staff of India Habitat Centre who also availed the facility.
Through this difficult period, HUDCO has taken several measures to ensure a safe and hygienic work environment for its employees. In addition to regular sanitising of office premises, necessary equipment such as sanitiser dispensers, oximeters, and digital thermometers were procured to monitor the health of all those who enter its premises. In view of the spike of infection, flexible working hours as well as work from home, were introduced to reduce the footfall in office and contain the spread of the virus.
A month long special Covid leave was approved for those suffering from Covid, to recover and recuperate from the illness. Further, rules for treatment were relaxed to permit treatment at any of the hospitals across Delhi and NCR. Furthermore, HUDCO collaborated with Max hospitals to offer teleconsultation facilities to help those in home isolation.
In response to the urgent need for guidance and help on various issues related to treatment of COVID-19, a rapid response team of HUDCO officers was identified to serve as a Covid helpdesk by forming WhatsApp groups, to extend maximum support and facilitation for getting medical assistance and all other necessary help. In addition, HUDCO procured oxygen concentrators and other medical equipment to support employees who might require oxygen support in an emergency situation.
