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Hospital staff booked for skipping work in Solapur
A case was registered against 133 staff members of Ashwini hospital in Solapur for not showing up to work even after notices were served to them, according to the
A case was registered against 133 staff members of Ashwini hospital in Solapur for not showing up to work even after notices were served to them, according to the health officer of the Solapur Municipal Corporation (SMC).
“When the cases started rising in the city, we had asked the hospitals to step in and admit patients. In the case of Ashwini Hospital, they told us that a number of staff members were not showing up. First, the hospital served them notice and then the collector’s office had also served them notices to show up, text messages were also sent. Some responded to the notices and showed up. The 133 staff members, who did not show up, were booked. These include doctors, nurses, ward boys, and housemen,” said Dr Dnayneshwar Vitthal Sodal, health officer of SMC.
Some staff members tested Covid-19 positive in the month of April. Whether the staff members who have failed to show up include these members or not is not yet clear.
“Ashwini Hospital is in our jurisdiction. We have registered a case against 133 of their staff members. They will all be called to the police station for inquiry. We will see how many of the 133 are in our jurisdiction. This work will be done at a fast pace and a charge sheet will be issued at the earliest,” said senior police inspector BP Salunkhe of Sadar Bazar police station.
A case under Sections 56, 57, 51 of the National Disaster Management Act along with Sections 188, 269, 336 of Indian Penal Code was registered at Sadar Bazar police station in Solapur.
Dr Rajendra Ghuli, medical superintendent of Ashwini Hospital, has been on a sick leave for the past week.
“I have not tested positive for Covid-19. I was advised to rest for some days and therefore, I have been resting for the past six days. I will join the hospital soon and take stock of the situation,” said Dr Ghuli when contacted on his home landline number.
Ashwini hospital is a cooperative hospital, the case was registered after an order was issued by the health officer.
“The 133 people who were on the list include 39 housemen doctors, 2 office staff, 57 nurses, and 35 Class 4 workers. None of these people had tested positive for Covid19,” said a spokesperson of the hospital who spoke in lieu of Dr Ghuli.
A notice was served by the SMC to four other hospitals in the area. A case was also registered against 13 doctors from another hospital.
“A case for not showing up was registered against 13 staff members of a hospital in our jurisdiction in the past. We are yet to receive the new notice. When we get it, we shall consider if a new case needs to be registered,” said senior police inspector Japhar Mogal of Jail road police station. Two other hospitals named in the notice are in the jurisdiction of Jail road police station.
Dr Sodal has claimed that the staff members who have not responded to the notices in the past two weeks will also face police action in the coming days.
