OT services at Lok Nayak Hospital affected after administration sacks contractual paramedical workers

Operation theatre (OT) services were disrupted at Lok Nayak Hospital on Tuesday, a day after the hospital terminated the services of 51 contractual paramedical employees. Sources at the Delhi government-run medical facility said surgeries had to be rescheduled due to the shortage of employees.

Those fired by the hospital on Monday included OT technicians, OT assistants, lab assistants, pharmacists, and radiographers.

Dr. Aviral Mathur, president of the hospital’s resident doctors’ association, said, “Around 50% of services in the paediatric and ENT departments were impacted due to the staff shortage. The move has put a burden on the families of patients, doctors, and existing employees. The decision was taken in haste and without prior notice to the employees.”

A senior hospital official said the administration is in the process of hiring permanent employees and that life-threatening surgeries were not impacted by the termination of the temporary employees’ services.

“There have been minor issues with the roster. However, emergency services and major surgeries took place as per schedule,” the official said. “The employees were hired exclusively for the pandemic,” the official added.

When reached for comment, the hospital higher authorities did not respond.

The 51 employees were hired for 89 days in May 2021. Their tenures were subsequently extended till December 2022, following which they were sacked. The temporary employees then moved the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), which ordered their reinstatement. In a recent hearing in the case, on May 31, CAT left the decision of engaging the employees up to the hospital administration.

The tribunal said the hospital could continue to employ the workers “as long as there is work available and/or till the vacancies are filled up on a regular basis”.

The hospital administration cited the CAT order while announcing the discontinuation of the services of contractual paramedical employees. The hospital also directed heads of various departments, the branch in-charge and the department in-charge to submit compliance reports regarding the disengagement of the contractual employees.

A technician, aged 27, whose name was on the list of employees whose services were discontinued, said, “We found out about the order yesterday. It is not in accordance with the order of the CAT, which had granted us the extension.” The technician, whose household depends on his ₹30,000 monthly salary, said, “The order impacts my family. We will fight the case in court and hope we’ll be reinstated.”