Bhayandar: 200-Bedded government hospital runs without sanitation staff

In yet another startling revelation, the government owned-Bharat Ratna Late Pandit Bhimsen Joshi (Tembha) Civil Hospital in Bhayandar is running without the presence of sanitation workers, thus raising a serious question mark on the safety and hygiene of patients, doctors, para-medical staff and even visitors.

State govt took over hospital in 2018

After much dilly-dialing, the state government had taken over the reins of the hospital from the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) in 2018. The MBMC had expressed before the judiciary about its inability to sustain the huge administrative expenses to run the hospital. Presently, 55 staffers including doctors and nurses have been recruited which is half the required manpower needed for the lone 200-bedded hospital, which also has an Out-Patient Department (OPD), operation theatres and dialysis unit. Apart from recruiting medical staffers, the state government is yet to fill the sanctioned posts of 44 sanitation workers.   

The MBMC which earlier managed the hospital had facilitated 44 sanitation workers, however, the services were discontinued in October-2022.

'Employees never receive their wages on time': Union leader

“As a stop gap arrangement, five sanitation workers have been hired on the virtue of funds approved under the patient welfare funds by the hospital committee,” said a senior official.

“It is unfortunate that, despite our requests and appeals, the existing on-roll and contractual employees never receive their wages on time. If this trend continues we will be forced to stop work,” said Sultan Patel, who is the office bearer of Vivek Pandit led-Shramjeevi Sanghatna, which had also launched a bheek mango (begging) agitation to draw the attention of the state government authorities towards the issue. Notably, the technical and non-technical employees who have been hired on a contractual basis had threatened to go on strike on Monday (16, January) over non-payment of salaries for the past three months.