From Our Correspondent
TURA, Oct 31: In a sensational development, albeit a little old, at least 157 contractual workers, employed under various capacities in the many different hospitals in the state, have been dismissed from service following the medical department not wishing to renew their contracts.
The employees, all 157 of them, had been recruited into the department during the time of COVID – 19 and had continued in their capacities of lab technicians, blood bank operators and emergency workers until they were forced out of their jobs. What has been even more damning for them is the fact that at least 6 months salaries of these employees are still due until their forced exit.
According to sources, the employees were unceremoniously dismissed from service in the month of September after repeated attempts by the Department of Health Services (DHS) to try and keep them in services went unheeded.
Prior to their sacking, similar exits were faced by thousands of workers under the department after the threat of the COVID pandemic ended. However many were still kept in their services in Garo-Khasi-Jaintia Hills to improve services. Their contribution, as per department sources, to ensuring seamless medical delivery was immense.
Since their departure, the situation in various Civil Hospitals and CHCs has come back to what it was prior to COVID.
Interestingly, after most of the COVID – 19 employees were terminated, the ones retained were no longer COVID warriors. Their designation was changed to Emergency Care Services showing their immense contribution in seamless medical services. “While emergency and laboratory services were earlier 24/7, these have reduced to about 12 hours now due to a lack of staff. Multiple memos and submissions have been made to the medical and state authorities to look into extending the contracts of these employees for the sake of seamless health care but that does not seem to be the priority of the state. So they have been dismissed,” said a highly placed source from the medical department on condition of anonymity.
What has agitated those removed from their jobs has been the non-payment of their salaries. The aggrieved former employees have even written to the Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma, earlier last week seeking a release of their pending salaries. To their dismay, no reply on the issue has been made to them as yet.
“We have been thrown out of our jobs and now are not being paid what is due to us. This money could have helped us cope with the current situation we are in until we found something better. Now no one knows when our dues will be cleared or if they will be cleared at all. This is exasperating to say the least,” said a former employee, again on condition of anonymity.
As per senior officials of the various hospitals many new services are expected to be affected due to the contractual workers being shunned out.
“These staff have been trained to man services like oxygen plants, new ICU units of ICU for newborns, blood units, most of which have been set up after COVID. We have sent justifications for their retainers many times to the government, including the minister but there has been no reply from them,” added a senior official from DHS.
Of the 157 terminated health workers, 22 were from the Shillong Civil Hospital, 11 from Tura Civil, 3 from Ampati Civil. The other CHCs and Civil Hospitals made up the numbers. Those that were terminated were lab technicians, ICU, OT, dialysis and ECG technicians showing the criticality of the state will now miss.
“Things have already gone back to pre COVID times when there were mad rushes in all government hospitals and its impact is already being felt. Most departments are almost coming apart at their seams. The state’s medical infrastructure could have done with these employees helping. Now we can only reminisce on what could have been,” felt another official.