Census duty a must, HC to wadia staff

After teachers, the Bombay high court on Tuesday asked the staff of the Wadia Hospital for Children and Wadia Maternity Hospital to attend census duty.

After teachers, the Bombay high court on Tuesday asked the staff of the Wadia Hospital for Children and Wadia Maternity Hospital to attend census duty.

HT Image

Hearing a petition filed by 16 hospital staff, who had been summoned for the census, a division bench of justice PB Majmudar and justice Amjad Sayed observed that there was a need to balance equities between census and hospital obligations. The court directed five staff from either wings of the hospital to be sent for census duty. “With 100 per cent occupancy, absence of staffers will make it difficult for the hospital to function,” said Mihir Desai, advocate for the petitioners.

Advocate for the central government Advait Sethna said that the census department was running short of staff and hence required assistance. He reasoned that doctors and nurses were not summoned so that hospital’s functioning remained unaffected.