SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, May 24: Six-day old indefinite strike by the outsourcing staff at Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH) is all set to end soon as on the recommendation of the Dhanbad deputy commissioner (DC), the state health department has finally agreed to accommodate the retrenched staff.
Official sources said that the health department has asked DC Sandip Singh to give an estimate of the financial burden to be incurred on redeploying 101 retrenched staff in the hospital.
A senior official said that if all go as per the plan of the DC, the crisis would be sorted out by Friday.
On the order of the state health department, SNMMCH hospital management cut short 101 staff out of 424 of the outsourcing company on May 20.
In the wake of retrenchment, all 424-outsourcing staff of the hospital have been on indefinite strike since May 19. Following the strike health services in the 577-bed hospital have been completely paralyzed.
Official sources said DC Sandip Kumar himself reviewed and assessed the utility of each post of 101 retrenched staff with SNMMCH authorities and finally recommended the health department to redeploy them for maintaining health services in the medical college hospital.
On the recommendation of the DC, the health department has asked to estimate what would be financial burden if they are redeployed. The DC has reportedly demanded a report from SNMMCH superintendent Dr AK Barnbal over financial burden. The hospital authority is likely to send a report today.
Among the retrenched staff, 60 of them are ward boys, 20 lab attendants, 10 each record and storekeepers/ cook attendants. “They could be redeployed in the hospital on name-changed posts,” said a senior official of the hospital.
Meanwhile, following the strike of outsourcing staff which entered the sixth day on Wednesday, operation in the surgery and orthopaedics department has to be cancelled. On Monday an operation was performed in the surgery ward of Dr Anil Kumar. But on Tuesday listed patients had to return without operation.
Meanwhile, shunning party affiliation, leaders of all political parties BJP, Congress, MCC, Janata Dal United have supported and joined the strike of outsourcing staff. BJP state executive committee member Ragni Singh shared the stage with former MLA Arup Chatterjee of the Marxist Coordination Committee (MCC) to show solidarity with the agitating staff.
