LAGATAR24 NETWORK
Dhanbad, May 20: The indefinite strike by the outsourcing staff against the state government’s retrenchment order in Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH) Dhanbad continued on second day on Saturday as health minister Banna Gupta’s assurance to withdraw the letter of government failed.
On Friday, the health minister had directed SNMMCH superintendent Dr AK Barnbal to withdraw the retrenchment order when Dhanbad sadar MLA Raj Sinha met him in Ranchi and made him aware about the plight being faced by patients in the hospital due to indefinite strike of the outsourcing staff.
All 428 outsourcing staff at SNMMCH have been on indefinites strike since Friday morning in protest against order of the health department to retrench 121 employees from Monday ( May 21).
The Striking staff said if 121 staff, who have been working for last 10 years, are retrenched they ( 428) would also not work.
Dhanbad sadar MLA Raj Sinha today also extended moral support to the striking staff and sat more than three hours with them in the morning to protest at gate of the hospital.
“I am surprised and aghast that even after assurance of the health minister, who gave it after taking details from concerned authorities of the health department and hospital authority, the retrenchment letter has not been withdrawn so far. The Hospital superintendent said he had not got any written order. Chaos prevailed in the hospital and patients are returning unattended,” said Sinha.
Sinha, who made round of all the wards in the hospital in wake of strike said that helpless patients have to do themselves in absence of ward boys. “It looks the government is not interested in running the medical college hospital otherwise around 600 admitted patients would not have been left in the lurch for the last 48 hours,” said Sinha
Following strike of dressers, ward boys, doctors of hospital were seen performing dressing of the patients.
Meanwhile, the Jharkhand State Para Medical Staff Association has protested the retrenchment of 121 staff. “Patients are suffering as the government has abolished posts of dressers, ward boys and anaesthesia technicians in hospitals and medical colleges of state,” said Raju Mahto, secretary of the association.
