BARIPADA: Alleging that a stretcher peon has allegedly been managing duty rosters, over 110 staff of Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College and Hospital (PRM MCH) met the superintendent on Friday and sought his immediate intervention.
The staff, outsourced from a private agency, included nurses, health workers, and medical assistants. They expressed strong reservation over the peon, Raghunath Lohar, issuing duty orders to them, though the responsibility does not fall under his assigned role. They alleged that instead of performing his duty of transporting patients, he has taken over supervisory duties without any official sanction.
“When senior staff question Lohar, he tells them that he is a political party worker and no one has the power to point fingers at him. He also claims that he has the backing of the hospital authorities,” they stated.
A senior nurse, Mamata Pattnaik, stated that as per the contract, a designated supervisor is responsible for allocating duty to them. However, since the agency took over, no supervisor has been present on-site, leaving a vacuum that Lohar has exploited.
The staff claimed that inaction of key officials including hospital manager and registrar has led to such a situation. “Despite multiple complaints to the registrar, no action was taken against him nor was the superintendent informed,” they said.
The staff submitted a memorandum to MCH superintendent Dr Rabindra Kumar Mishra, requesting immediate deployment of a supervisor. They also demanded pending remuneration for their service during the Covid-19 period. They said they would stop work and lock the duty room from Saturday if no action was taken.
Dr Mishra assured that an investigation would be carried out and a letter will be sent to the agency to appoint a proper supervisor to manage staff duty.