MADURAI: Patients and their attendants at the Madurai Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) have raised concerns over the delayed arrival of sanitary workers, multipurpose workers, and housekeeping staff deployed by a private contract agency, causing disruptions in routine medical procedures.
Speaking to TNIE, several patients and their families alleged that delays by contract staff have affected timely access to X-rays, scans and other diagnostic services, particularly when patients need to be transported between wards and diagnostic blocks.
“Though government staff are present, we are largely dependent on contract workers to move patients for tests. Often there are just two or three workers instead of the sanctioned five per ward, increasing the burden on those present. When some workers fail to turn up on time, test schedules get delayed,” said Sudamani, a relative of a patient.
Another patient, Sabarinathan, said, “In the mornings, some contract workers are missing, and wards remain unclean. Even when we inform supervisors, they seem aware of the issue, but don’t take strict action. Instead, they shift workers from other wards. As patients, we can’t question them because we’re dependent on their support.” When contacted Resident Medical Officer (RMO) Dr S Saravanan said the issue would be looked into.
“All contract workers are required to submit attendance records with accurate timings as per the contract signed through the Directorate of Medical Education (DME). The current agency has been submitting physical attendance for the past month. They recently took charge and have been instructed to implement biometric attendance tracking, similar to the previous agency,” he said.
An official from the facility management agency denied the allegations.
“We have deployed over 740 staff across three shifts - 7 am to 4 pm, 12 pm to 9 pm, and 9 pm to 6 am. All morning shift workers are required to report by 7 am.”
