Salary hike: Gandhi Hospital strike enters day two, chaos continues

Adminstrative wing employees refuse to clear paper work, patients inconvenienced
Updated on
2 min read

HYDERABAD: As the strike by 35 outsourcing staff at Gandhi hospital’s administrative wing entered its second day, several patients were continued to be under distress on Wednesday. Moreover, patients who were scheduled to be discharged on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday had no other way but to stay at the hospital as the employees did not process the files. 

As many as 83 persons are outsourcing employees here and work as Data Entry Operators (DEO), Data Processing Operators (DPO), Lab Technicians, Pharmacists and the like. The 35 persons who are on strike are demanding a salary hike. They mainly process the papers for Aarogyasri Scheme which funds 938 medical procedures. DEOs and DPOs upload details in the scheme’s website for approval of funds.  There after photos are taken while surgery is performed which will be sent as proof.  

Outsourcing employees stop
offering services at Gandhi hospital
in Hyderabad on Wednesday |
Express photo

If a patient has to be discharged, the employees take post-operative photos, upload details and generate discharge card. Travel expenses and medicines are handed over when patient is discharged. All of these services came to a halt.

The employees said that they are being issued salaries as per Government Order (GO) number 3 (dated Jan-12, 2011). “According to it, DEOs get `9,500 per month and DPOs get `11,500. A GO number 14 was issued on February 2016, hikes salaries, for DEOs it is `15,000 monthly and `17,500 for DPOs. We want our salaries to be increased,” said Pradeep Bukka, an employee, threatening to continue protest.


Patients troubled
R Shankar who could work on his farm said that he has been waiting from past three days to get his son’s details uploaded so that tests can be performed. “My son, Praveen (20), is suffering from Jaundice. Doctors prescribed tests. I have been doing rounds at the Administrative office. On Wednesday I was told by the employees that they are not working,” the farmer said. 


A family of four from Nalgonda, who have been attending a patient suffering from paralysis, said they weren’t able to leave. “My brother, Niranjan, was getting treated for brain stroke and doctors said he can be discharged. On Wednesday, too the process was not taken up. Four of our family had to stay put here,” said Saidulu.  Usually, 30-40 patients treated under Aarogyasri scheme are discharged every day.
 

Surgeries delayed
The hospital’s superintendent Dr P Shravan Kumar said that they had made sure that surgeries went on. He is scheduled to meet special chief secretary (health) Rajeshwar Tiwari on Thursday to discuss the strike. 

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