Staff of Noida district hospital go on strike over pay issue
Paramedical and contractual staff of a Noida district hospital on Monday reportedly protested for four hours against the hospital authorities over pending salaries and non-renewal of contracts. Hospital officials said that their salary payment and contract-renewal had to be done by the Noida Authority, and the hospital was not responsible for it. The staff resumed their duties after the protests.
 Health services were crippled at the district hospital in Sector 30 for four hours on Monday as contractual doctors and paramedical staff went on a strike and protested against the hospital administration for not paying them salaries for the last three months. Nearly 150 doctors and nurses of the hospital took part in the four-hour protest from 8am to 12pm at the district hospital premises. Holding placards, the protesting staff demanded the immediate release of their pending salaries. The wages of the contractual staff are provided by the Noida authority, which are later disbursed by the hospital administration. Due to the protest, patients and permanent staff at the hospital faced inconvenience. The contractual staff members staged a sit-in in front of the main gate. They also demanded that their contract be renewed for another year along with the release of the pending salary by the Noida authority. Chief medical superintendent of district hospital Dr Ajay Aggarwal said, ?We are not responsible for paying their salaries. They have worked here for three months and they resumed their work today (Monday) too after the protest. Their contract has to be renewed by the Noida authority and the authority is planning to do it.? The hospital?s permanent staff strength is 350. It has an overall strength of 500, including the contractual staff. Around 2,500 people daily visit the district hospital in the outpatient department to avail of the treatment. The hospital has a bed capacity of 150. ?There was no impact on the services at the hospital. The staff strength of 350 is enough to take care of patients in a facility the size of the district hospital. Presence of these contractual workers makes hospitals function more smoothly. Even if the Noida authority does not pay them, they cannot do anything about it owing to the conditions mentioned in their contracts,? Dr Aggarwal added. ?We have been performing our duties diligently and it is our right to get our pending salaries. The hospital has maintained the record of our duties and it should stand with us,? said Kavita, a paramedical staff member. 