Healthcare workers in state-run hosp stage protest over shortage of protective gears

Nurses, group-D staff and ward boys of the state-run MR Bangur Hospital here staged a protest on its premises on Friday, demanding adequate supply of personal protective equipment (PPE). Despite hospital superintendent Dr Sisir Naskar's assurances that their demand would be fulfilled at the earliest, they refused to call off the protest.

"We have been handling patients for several days now without any proper PPEs. We don't know who is carrying what disease. Several requests have been made to the authorities for PPEs, but they did not pay heed..." one of the protesters, a group-D staff member at the south Kolkata hospital, said. Last week, too, nurses at Beliaghata ID hospital, another state-run facility in the city, had staged a demonstration over shortage of protective gears.

Several nurses had said they would attend to the patients only after receiving (PPE) - masks, gloves and full body suits - following which hospital officials had promised to look into their demand. Meanwhile, a group of contractual workers at SSKM hospital on Friday sought an insurance coverage from the government, at par with the permanent employees.

The workers reasoned that they were also taking chances and risking their lives while attending to the patients at the government hospital..

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