NEW DELHI: The impact of removing 51 paramedical staff was seen on the healthcare services at the Lok Nayak Hospital as the doctors had to defer nearly 20 planned surgeries on Tuesday, hospital sources told this newspaper, adding that around 50 per cent of the Operation Theatres remained shut the whole day.
The 51 terminated staff included OT technicians without whom the surgeries had to be postponed. However, it is not known when these surgeries would be taken up as the hospital administration has not arranged the replacement of the workers who were associated with the crucial healthcare delivery service. Hospital staff said the impact of the termination was observed in varying degrees.
“Six out of thirteen OTs remained shut today. Two OTs each were shut at the Department of ENT and general Surgery while at Orthopedics and Gynae & Obstetrics, one OT each was closed on the day. Meanwhile, the situation was also grim. If the administration did not have the provision to replace these workers with a new workforce, then they shouldn’t have taken this drastic step. It’s directly affecting the healthcare delivery at the institute,” a senior doctor said.
Meanwhile, the administration also terminated over 170 temporary nurses with immediate effect who were recruited during the COVID period.
“...all the Temporary Nursing Officers hired during the COVID-19 are hereby discontinued with immediate effect...Non compliance of this order shall be viewed seriously,” read the notice.
Officials on the condition of anonymity said the administration did not make provision for replacement of the removed staff before terminating them from jobs leading to a crisis like situation at the hospital. “The existing nursing staff is doing double shifts for now to manage the situation,” a senior official told this newspaper.
Meanwhile, the terminated employees have appealed against their removal in the Delhi High Court on Tuesday.