Staff shortage: Agitation brews in Sishu Bhawan

CUTTACK:  Even as the Sardar Vallavbhai Patel Post-Graduate Institute of Paediatrics (SVPPGIP), better known as Sishu Bhawan, is under direct monitoring of the Orissa High Court over infrastructure deficiencies, a staff agitation is brewing in the premier child health care speciality institute.The ministerial staff, paramedics along with Class III and IV employees have threatened strike over what they alleged gross indifference to the pressing problems of staff shortage.The Non-gazetted Officers’ Coordination Committee (NGOCC) of the Institute on Sunday alleged that there has been no review of the staff strength of the hospital even though the bed strength of the hospital has gone up by over seven times from 50 to 356 at present.The hospital is beset with acute staff shortage at every level from the ministerial staff to maintain accounts, records and documentation procedures to the level of paramedics like staff nurses, pharmacists, lab technicians and radiographers down to the attendants, general secretary of the staff body N C Mishra told mediapersons here.Reeling out statistics, Mishra said there is a requirement of at least 219 staff nurses to meet the MCI criterion as per the bed strength. But only around 120 are present, including some contractual appointments made recently. Against 15 required pharmacists there are only six, against four radiographers there are two and against six senior lab technicians there are three.The institute was started with 50 beds in 1966 and the strength gradually increased to 200 beds. At present after completion of the Japanese grant-in-aid project and Central assistance, the institute has 356 beds, including 40-bed paediatric surgery units, 33 ICU beds and a 94-bed newborn unit.The Government and the authorities have been working on bringing in doctors and officers at the top level to manage the functioning but the mid and bottom rungs are completely paralysed.The Government has created posts of senior hospital administrator and hospital manager but there is no step to appoint an office superintendent which is essential for a 356-bed hospital, the staff alleged.There is not a single accountant nor has a post of head clerk been created even as the hospital generates substantial revenue through users fees. The collection of fees in 2010-11 was to the tune of Rs 1.62 crore, organising secretary S R Mohanty said.“We have taken up the issues of creation of posts and filling up of vacancies at different levels, extension of service benefits and regularisation of employees with the authorities and the Government. But no action has been taken yet. If the attitude persists we will have to resort to an agitation,” the organising secretary said.