SRIKAKULAM: The negligence of the previous YSRCP government seems to have become a curse for several outsourcing employees of the Dr YSR Kidney Research Hospital at Palasa as they have not been getting salaries ever since their appointment.
The hospital was inaugurated on December 14, 2023, and 53 outsourcing employees recruited by the Andhra Pradesh Corporation for Outsourced Services (APCOS) two months before the inauguration have not been paid salaries. The employees, mostly security guards, lab technicians and pharmacists, are facing hardships, and their pay was not cleared by APCOS on technical grounds initially, and on grounds of Model Code of Conduct later.
An outsourcing employee said, “I joined as outsourcing employee through APCOS in the Dr YSR Kidney Research Hospital in October 2023. However, I have not receive at least one month salary so far. The previous government delayed to pay our salaries till March 2024 on the pretext of technical issues. Later, they did not pay our salaries till June 2024 in the name of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for 2024 elections.”
“We approached our MLA Gouthu Sireesha for justice, and happy as she took the issue to the government’s notice by raising it in the Assembly. We have no other source of income, and I appeal to the government to pay all our pending salaries at the earliest.”
Speaking to TNIE, Palasa MLA Sireesha said, “The previous YSRCP government as well as former MLA Seediri Appalaraju gave priority to publicity rather than providing basic amenities at the super specialty hospital. They did not have commitment to the welfare of kidney patients. Therefore, they did not enrol the outsourcing employees’ names in APCOS.”
“I have taken the issue to the government’s notice, and personally urged our CM to resolve it. We have sent the file to District Incharge Minister Kondapalli Srinivas for the final approval of salaries of the outsourcing staff. He has give his nod also. I hope they will get salaries in the next couple of weeks. We are committed to the welfare of kidney patients as well as the employees of the hospital,” she said.
Uddanam is a high risk area with over 34,000 kidney patients. Due to the high prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Uddanam, the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government had set up the 200-bed super specialty hospital, including a kidney research centre,at an estimated cost of Rs 50 crore.