While most BMC hospitals were operating normally during the nationwide strike yesterday, state-run JJ hospital, felt the pinch with all employees at the hospital except for the doctors went on a two-day strike.
In an attempt to save the day, around 200 undergraduate medical students substituted those employees who went on a two-day strike. Duties such as cleaning the wards, delivering tea and packed food from the canteen to the wards, and other tasks were done by these students.
As the patients’ kitchen was closed, food was provided from the Central canteen of the hospital. The dean of JJ group Dr. T.P Lahane ensured that food reached the patients properly
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“We have to take care of our patients on both days of the bandh. Also, the efforts and participation of the students is making sure that the hospital doesn’t collapse due to the strike,” said Dr. Lahane.
“All of us did our best to help our seniors and the patients at the hospital," said Rajkumar Wagh, General Secretary, Grant Medical College Students’ Association for undergraduates.
The patients were surprised to see students clad in white aprons visiting wards with packed food and tea, added Wagh.
He also added, “We worked in three shifts starting at 7.30 in the morning to compensate the loss of employees owing to the strike.”
JJ Hospital, which on a regular day sees a footfall of up to 3000 patients barely had 200 patients visiting the hospital, claimed doctors.
The hospital authorities were forced to employ around 76 civil defense members along with 22 police personnel from JJ Marg police station to fill in the posts of security staff at the hospital.
BMC hospitals unaffected
According to sources in BMC hospitals such as KEM and Nair, there was over 95 percent attendance and in Sion hospital 93 percent employees attended work.u00a0
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