SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, May 19: The indefinite strike by the outsourcing staff against retrenchment has paralysed health services to patients in different wards at Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH) since morning.
All 428 staff of Frontline outsourcing company have gone on indefinite strike since morning demanding immediate withdrawal of the retrenchment order of the state government.
Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Arun Kumar Singh has issued a letter to SNMMCH management to retrench 121 outsourcing staff (out of 428) working on non-sanctioned posts in the hospital from May 21.
Following the strike, service in the wards, dressing of patients, function in lab, OTs and taking in and out patients in the ward and emergency on stretchers were badly affected. The attendants of patients have to do it themselves.
Since morning all 428 outsourcing staff were seen sitting at the main entry point of the hospital.
Meanwhile, rattled by the strike at SNMMCH, Dhanbad Sadar MLA Raj Sinha met the health minister Banna Gupta in Ranchi and requested him to stop the retrenchment of outsourcing staff in the interest of patients.
The health minister immediately talked with SNMMCH superintendent Dr AK Barnbal and took details of the retrenchment order.
The health minister also directed the Special Officer of state government Alok Trivedi to stop the retrenchment. When the health minister was informed that the ACS Health had issued a letter for retrenchment, he also rang up Arun Kumar Singh but he could not be available as he was in New Delhi to attend a programme.
“Health minister assured me that he would review the situation of SNMMCH following the strike of health staff and will take the appropriate steps before the deadline of retrenchment (May 21) so that patients of the hospital do not suffer,” said Dhanbad Sadar MLA Raj Sinha.
The agitating outsourcing health staff charged that the government left them in the lurch after taking services for a decade. “Now we don’t have age left to apply and work in other hospitals. In such a condition where would we go,” said the agitators.
Dhanbad sadar MLA Raj Sinha also met the Dhanbad journalist under treatment at RIMS Ranchi who was shot at on Wednesday night and requested the health minister for providing him with special treatment.
