Around 550 Outsourced Health Workers Protest Non-Payment of Salaries; Registration Services Affected
Gurugram: Operations at Civil Hospital, Gurugram, faced major disruptions on Thursday after nearly 550 outsourced Health Department employees went on strike over delayed salary payments. The protest impacted several essential services, including patient registration, sanitation, and administrative operations, causing inconvenience to hundreds of patients visiting the government healthcare facility.
Outsourced Employees Halt Work Over Salary Delay
The striking workforce included sanitation workers, data entry operators, and Class IV employees, who stopped work around 8 a.m. Employees alleged that their salaries for the month had not been credited despite assurances from authorities that the payments would be released on Thursday.
Speaking during the protest, one of the workers stated that employees had been expecting salary payments since Wednesday and were assured the amount would be credited shortly. However, as the payment was not received, workers decided to suspend their duties until the issue was resolved.
Patient Registration Services Disrupted
The strike led to significant disruption in hospital operations, particularly at patient registration counters, which remained closed for nearly two hours. Long queues formed as hundreds of patients waited to complete registration procedures and access medical services.
The situation created difficulties for both patients and attendants, while hospital authorities worked to restore normal functioning through alternative arrangements.
Power Outage Adds to Hospital Chaos
Compounding the disruption, the hospital also experienced a brief power outage amid an ongoing strike by electricity department employees. According to reports, power supply remained interrupted for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
Hospital officials subsequently activated the backup generator system, though it took an additional 20 minutes to fully restore electricity across the facility.
CMO Intervenes to Restore Services
In response to the developing situation, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Lokveer Singh personally intervened and held discussions with the protesting employees. Around 9 a.m., he directed medical interns to manage patient registration work and ensure continuity of essential hospital services.
“The issue is almost resolved. I went there and talked to people who were staging a protest. At present, the situation is under control,” Dr. Singh said.
Emergency Measures Help Normalize Operations
Doctors and hospital officials stated that emergency arrangements were implemented promptly to minimize the impact on patient care. Available staff members were redeployed to critical areas, power supply was restored through backup systems, and registration services gradually resumed after interns were assigned to the task.
While services returned to normal later in the day, the incident highlighted the challenges faced by public healthcare institutions when outsourced workforce issues affect routine hospital operations.
