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Chandigarh: PGIMER patients pained as 4,000 contract workers strike work
No fresh registrations accepted at OPDs, emergency operated with limited capacity; elective surgeries to be postponed
Medical services at PGIMER, Chandigarh, faced significant disruption on Thursday as over 4,000 contract workers once again went on strike for their demands.
As the strike brought the hospital’s operations to a standstill, out of the usual 10,000 patients who visit the OPD daily, only 3,000 were attended to by doctors, while 7,000 had to be sent back home.
Called by the contract workers’ Joint Action Committee (JAC), this is the fifth strike by different workers’ unions in less than two years since Dr Vivek Lal took over as the PGIMER director. After Dr Lal took charge, the first strike was on November 16, 2022, the second on January 20 this year, and the third on April 3 and 4, the fourth on June 11, before the fifth on Friday.
The JAC, which includes unions representing sanitation workers, security guards, hospital attendants and other categories of contract workers, alleged that their issues have remained unresolved despite a memorandum submitted on December 14, 2023, and several subsequent meetings.
The workers have been demanding wage regularisation, improved medical facilities and other benefits.
Dr Lal appealed to the public for understanding and cooperation during this challenging period. “This strike is both unethical and uncalled for, given the essential nature of our services. The strike, unfortunately, threatens to disrupt patient care services where many depend on PGIMER as their last port of call for complex medical issues,” said Dr Lal.
The JAC maintained that the strike will continue if their demands are not met. Ashwani Kumar Munjal, chairman, JAC, said, “Although a protest was planned for August 9, it has been cancelled to allow PGIMER management an opportunity to resolve the issues. The strike will resume on August 10 if no settlement is reached.”
Pankaj Rai, deputy director at PGIMER, stated, “Out of the ₹46 crore allocated by the ministry, we have disbursed 99% funds to the workers. Around ₹1 crore is still pending, as we are in the process of identifying the remaining workers, which is taking some time. Additionally, approximately ₹30 crore for the hospital attendants category will be earmarked by the ministry and will be released once the file receives approval.”
In response to the strike, PGIMER implemented a contingency plan to manage the impact on patient services. Regular staff members were mobilised and 37 volunteers from Project Sarathi, along with additional support from NGOs Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra and Sukh Foundation, were deployed to assist in maintaining operations.
Hospitals in neighbouring states told to avoid referrals
The impact of the strike was immediately felt across the hospital. A resident doctor in the New OPD shared that no new patient cards were issued due to the absence of hospital attendants and all registration counters were closed. Only patients with existing records were attended to.
Emergency and trauma care services, in particular, were functioning at a limited capacity, prompting an advisory for neighbouring hospitals across Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh to refrain from referring patients to PGIMER. The hospital director also acknowledged potential disruptions in OPD services and elective surgeries, with some surgeries possibly being postponed.
“While we are making every effort to ensure that OPD, emergency and trauma services remain unaffected, there may be temporary disruptions in elective surgeries,” said Dr Lal.
A senior resident doctor explained that the strike made routine operations such as sample collection, laundry services, refilling oxygen cylinders and patient transportation more difficult. “With the support of nurses, regular workers and patients’ families, we were able to divide the tasks among ourselves and manage the situation better,” she added.
Following the strike in April, on April 19, the Union ministry of health and family welfare had conveyed its approval for a ₹46-crore budget for the release of arrears of similar wages.
According to the JAC, PGIMER has not fulfilled its commitments made during previous negotiations. Workers claim that arrears amounting to ₹30-40 crore, covering various employee categories, have yet to be paid, with ₹28 crore specifically owed to hospital attendants and relievers since January 2024.
(With inputs from Anahadhbir Singh)
