PURI: Director of National Health Mission (NHM) Shalini Pandit was locked up in the district headquarters hospital (DHH) building by contractual employees who demanded release of arrears and regularisation of their service here on Wednesday.
Pandit was here to review implementation of 5T in Government hospitals across the district, including the DHH. While she was in a meeting with Special Secretary of Health and Family Welfare department MK Samantrai, Chief District Medical Officer Nilakanth Mishra and officials of State Medicine Board, around 50 contractual workers locked the door of main entrance gate of the DHH from outside.
They staged a dharna in front of the hospital demanding release of their arrears from March this year and regularisation of service. Pandit, who was rescued by police personnel, directed the CDMO to release the pending salaries of the agitating contractual employees.
Earlier, Mishra urged Pandit to fill up 38 posts of doctors and five specialists lying vacant in the DHH. Pandit visited several wards and interacted with patients, who complained of poor food, sanitation and drinking water at the hospital. Some patients alleged that specialists do not visit the wards regularly.