KGMU strike hits patient care, many forced to return

KGMU strike hits patient care, many forced to return

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Lucknow:  17.11.2021

Patient care services in the out patient department (OPD) were impacted at King George’s Medical University (KGMU) on Tuesday after the university employees went on an indefinite strike demanding higher pay scale. After holding talks, the strike has been put on hold for a month.

While several patients had to return without consultation even after taking an appointment weeks in advance, the university claimed no surgeries were affected and patients were taken care of in the OPD.

After the day-long strike, the employees and KGMU administration held a meeting on Tuesday evening following which the employees decided to hold off their protest for the next one month based on assurances made on the day.

KGMU employees, under the leadership of their association president Pradeep Gangwar, have been demanding pay scales at par with their counterparts in SGPGI.

In a letter by the directorate of medical education (DGME) to KGMU registrar on the day it was conveyed that cadre restructure of KGMU employees is in process at the government level.

“Against the university’s list of 42 cadres, government order has been received for two cadres. The status of restructuring 14 other cadres is in the final stages which will be completed in the next one month. The process to expedite decisions on the remaining cadres is also being tried,” the DGME’s letter read.

The day’s protest became a huge problem for several patients who had come to KGMU from far and wide, many of whom had to return without getting any consultation.

Jitendra Pratap Singh, who came from Rae Bareli to get a consultation in the neurology department OPD, said, “I made an appointment two weeks ago. Now I am being told that OPD is not functional. I am at a crossroad now not knowing what to do,” he rued.

Similarly, Keshav Chandra from Gorakhpur said, “I had to wait for three hours to get my registration done to consult with doctors, but there was nobody at the counter to start the process. I had traveled with great difficulty on Tuesday and had to return without any respite with an aggravated abdominal pain. No one heard my requests.”