SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, March 24: Hundreds of frontline Corona warriors, who fought against Covid-19 infection in crisis in the last two years, have urged the Jharkhand chief minister, health minister and additional chief secretary (health) to save their job contracts.
This Paramedical staff were hired through outsourcing companies in wake of the Corona pandemic in 2020 under District Mineral Fund Trust (DMFT) for collecting samples, conducting testing at Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH) Dhanbad lab and nursing Covid patients at different dedicated hospitals of the district.
Since Covid infection has almost been controlled in the district as only two patients were found in the last 10 days, the District Disaster Management (DDM) has suspended samples collection drives at different places and decided to withdraw services of outsourcing companies also.
The outsourcing staff were deployed at Dhanbad railway station, inter-state Bartand Bus Stand, Chirkunda check post of Jharkhand – Bengal border for collecting samples and testing through TruNat.
Besides it, they were also deployed in RTPCR lab, PG Block and Cath Lab of SNMMCH, Central Hospital of Bharat Coking Coal Limited for nursing of Covid patients.
The Jharkhand Para Medical Staff Association (JPSA) has shot off a memorandum to the chief minister, health minister and additional chief secretary (health) urging that these outsourcing staff had put their life at stake in the fight of the state government against Covid, they should be deployed on vacant posts in hospitals.
“The District Disaster Management (DDM) used us in the crisis and now threw them in the dustbin. Even the salary payment has not been paid to them for the last six months. But a termination order has been served,” said Raju Mahto.
A senior authority of SNMMCH said the outsourcing staff were deployed in 2020 and since then their contract is renewed every three months. “Tomorrow (March 25) their contract will be completed and no order has come for renewal,” said the authority.
However, an official of the DDMA said that since the collection of samples and testing of suspected patients at different places have been terminated in the wake of dwindling Covid infection, there is no requirement of outsourcing force. So, the hired outsourcing staff are being removed, he added.
