Patients suffer as Jammu medical college employees intensify strike

By Dhriti, Jammu, Mar.12 : Health services continue to remain paralyzed in Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir, as a strike by government medical college employees, excluding doctors, demanding regularization of jobs under the Sixth Pay Commission and release of pending arrears entered the third day on Friday.

Services at the Government Medical College (GMC) and other hospitals in Jammu have been badly hit by the strike.

Barring emergency services in hospitals, all other sections, including the out-patient department in the hospital, remain non-functional, as the employees have opted to stay away from work.

'For three days, the OPD and operation theatres will remain closed. Only emergency services are functional. One of the major issues prompting our colleagues to strike work is their appointment on an adhoc contractual basis for the last fourteen years. This government has even promised us a change in status, but no order to this effect has been issued as yet. We are also demanding our arrears,' said Sarita, the president of the Nurses Association at the Government Medical College, Jammu.

Patients are lying unattended outside the OPD wards. There is no one to listen. They look as confused as they are all referred to other private hospitals. They are at the mercy of God. They wait helplessly to be attended.

A distressed attendant, Pushpa, said: 'We are very disturbed. Our mother is ill for many days. They have discharged us and there are no doctors here. We have come from a far-flung area. We have no brother and we sisters are taking care of our mother. We are very tense.'

At the GMC, some infuriated patients like aksh Kaul and their relatives demanded an immediate end to the strike.