Security staff stage stir against Wenlock hospital

DHNS

Mangalore, 15 March 2010: Security staff comprising of 13 women staged protest on Sunday, outside District Wenlock hospital, led by DYFI against the decision of the hospital management to sack the security staff from duty. 

 
The protesters alleged that they are being sacked so as to accommodate security staff from a private hospital and opined that handing over of security to this private hospital is the first step of proposed plan of privatisation of Wenlock Hospital.

However the protesters temporarily withdrew the protest after the RMO visited them and promised them that dialogue will be held with the private hospital to absorb them.

DYFI District President Muneer Katipalla said that on Sunday morning when the women security staff reported for duty, the hospital administration told them that they do not need their services anymore as the duty will be done by personnel from private hospital.

They asked the women to stay back for two days and train the new personnel and leave. “Petrified by the sudden decision, the women staged a protest. These women have been working for the past 8 years on contract basis and their services were not terminated despite the contract getting over,” Katipalla said.

Allegation denied

Clarifying the issue, former DMO Dr Prabhudeva, who penned the MoU for handing over security and cleaning work to a private hospital informed Deccan Herald that the move is in no way facilitating privatisation of Wenlock.

“We had 40 security staff and 90 cleaning staff deployed on contract basis and Government was spending Rs 92 lakh to keep these persons. Hence, we held a discussion with the said private hospital and they readily agreed to render their service free of cost. With this, we intended to save Rs 92 lakh which could be utilised for development of hospital in many other ways,” Dr Prabhudeva said and added that while the private hospital absorbed the cleaning staff, they refused to absorb the security staff because of the past credentials of the security staff of creating fights in the hospital premises, male security staff coming drunk to duty and various other irregularities. He said that though the contractor was informed to terminate the service, about two months ago, he did not and the staff went on protest.