Berhampur: The stir by employees of all 55 blood banks across the state has crippled health care including the blood bank at MKCG Medical College and Hospital here in Ganjam district.
The stir was called demanding regularisation of jobs from Monday. Among other demands include extension of facilities like employees’ provident funds government quarters and retirement benefits like pension to blood bank employees.
Meanwhile, the stir has severely affected health care in MKCG as at least 182 employees, including technicians, social workers and junior cleaners joined the agitation.
Those suffering from thalassemia, sickle cell, haemophilia and those who need blood transfusion regularly had a harrowing time. Around 1400 patients take blood from the Odisha Blood Bank regular every month in Berhampur.
“We had given a month’s time for fulfillment of our demands. We are forced to go into agitation as the government did not fulfill the demands,” said Jeebanananda Patnaik, Secretary of Odisha State Blood Bank Employees Association.
“We have been working for over two decades. But our jobs are yet to be regularised thought the government has assured us time and again,’’ Patnaik added.
“For the benefit of patient we had stocked around 500 units of blood of all different groups in the blood banks before the strike. The patient will not be facing any problem in procuring the blood in the next two or three days. The situation will worsen in the next few days,’’ said Patnaik.
On the other hand, medical authorities said they have deputed six technicians from the hospital to the blood banks.
“We have also asked the chief district medical officer to depute more technicians to run the blood bank,” said medical college principal and superintendent in charge, Radha Madhab Tripathy.
PNN
