PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Many patients at the Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) Hospital have expressed concern over hygiene and sanitation issues within the premises. The lack of cleanliness has arisen because workers employed by the Uttarakhand Purva Sainik Kalyan Nigam Limited (UPNL) have been on strike for several days. UPNL workers across the State began their protests on November 10 at Parade Ground, halting operations in response to longstanding demands that have yet to be addressed. This action has continued into Tuesday and many workers at GDMC Hospital are part of this protest, significantly impacting sanitation and hygiene, which has become a major concern for patients.
Patient Raju Dev said that he visited the outpatient department (OPD) for a check-up, but he expressed worries about the unhygienic conditions on the hospital floors. He also said that the area outside the toilets has been particularly unpleasant, stating that patients, due to their weakened immunity, could be prone to more infections. He urged the hospital administration to act regarding these issues.
Another patient, Laksmi Kumari, shared that the sanitation conditions have deteriorated, indirectly affecting patients and their attendants. The strike by UPNL workers has made maintaining cleanliness challenging at the hospital. She pointed out that the washrooms at the hospital are so dirty that using them could potentially make patients ill. In light of the patients’ health, she emphasised that some action should be taken.
Many other patients and their attendants have voiced similar concerns about the unhygienic conditions at GDMC Hospital.
In response to these issues, the medical superintendent at the hospital Dr RS Bisht acknowledged that the strike by UPNL workers has affected services, particularly sanitation. He said that there are a total of 318 workers employed by UPNL, with 105 of them working in sanitation. This means the majority of sanitation workers at the hospital are UPNL employees as out of 160 sanitation workers, 105 are UPNL workers. While the hospital administration has managed to maintain other services provided by UPNL workers, including nursing and pharmacy staff, the sanitation aspect has become particularly challenging due to the high number of UPNL workers in that department. Bisht concluded that although the hospital administration is doing its best to manage the situation, conditions of sanitation will improve significantly once the UPNL workers’ strike ends.
