JJ Hospital workers launch indefinite strike

Many current employees are nearing the retirement age, and no new staffers have been hired for the past nine to ten years, thereby exacerbating the situation, said employees

MUMBAI: Class 4 employees of the state-run JJ Hospital, including male and female attendants and cleaners, began an indefinite strike on Wednesday to protest against the inadequate staff situation in the face of an increasing patient load. Many current employees are nearing the retirement age, and no new staffers have been hired for the past nine to ten years, thereby exacerbating the situation, said employees.

Class 4 employees of the state-run JJ Hospital, including male and female attendants and cleaners, began an indefinite strike on Wednesday to protest against the inadequate staff situation. (Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

“During the Covid-19 pandemic, the hospital staff worked tirelessly to serve the public,” said an employee. “But the lack of new staff has created issues for us. There are 1,352 beds in the hospital and it is a struggle to provide enough care to all of them. Despite repeated requests and discussions with the administration, no action has been taken.”

Satyawan Sawant, general secretary of the Hospital Staff Association, said that 1,200 employees were participating in the stir. “Employees are struggling to manage the increased workload,” he said. “They can’t even take time off for personal reasons, as there is no one to fill in for them, which is affecting their mental and physical health. This situation could harm patient care at the hospital. There is an urgent need to hire Class 4 and other staff directly. Without this, the public’s trust in the hospital will decline.”

Krishna Renose, president of the Hospital Staff Association, said that the recruitment process needed to start soon. “The association has informed the administration that any problems with patient care will be their responsibility,” he said. “We are hoping for a positive response to these issues soon.”

Dr Pallavi Saple, Dean, JJ Hospital, said, “There was no impact on patient care on Day One. However, keeping in mind the future direction of the movement, employees from other government departments or through external sources will be appointed on a temporary basis. Care will be taken to ensure that patient care is not disrupted. Statements of the employees have been sent to the government from time to time. Our department commissioner also had discussions with them.”