Ludhiana, July 24
Faculty members of Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) met the Minister of State (Public Health), Mr J.S.Randhawa, who assured them of all possible co-operation by the government to resolve the ongoing DMCH crises.
In a press note issued here today, faculty members said that with such support, something positive was sure to emerge in the next couple of days. The doctors said in the past several days following the police action, several claims and counter-claims had been made with reference to certain missing employees, which unfortunately led to considerable rumour mongering. The police had also made efforts to locate at least one such missing employee and the faculty members were relieved by this development.
They urged the administration to uncover the mystery regarding other persons claimed to be missing. The doctors also denounced allegations that some faculty members were involved in a conspiracy regarding an employee who was reportedly
missing. All such allegations were false and against the interest of creating an atmosphere conductive for restoration for hospital services.
The doctors said that they would like to clarify their stand on the whole issue. In the first place, the tussle was between the hospital management and employees union. The faculty members were not involved in this at any point of time. They did not support the agitation of the employees. Their involvement was purely on humanitarian grounds. ‘‘Our intentions are clear to secure the welfare of the employees, in particular the release of employees arrested under frivolous cases and to restore hospital services in the best interests of citizens of Ludhiana and its neighbourhood’’, maintained the doctors.
The faculty members wished that the hospital should start normal functioning at the earliest in the interest of both patients and medical students. However they also realised that the hospital could not resume normal working unless the employees joined back their duties. To get the employees back to work, the doctors suggested that all cases against administrators and employees be withdrawn and meaningful talks should be initiated between the management and union with due consideration of the position and views of each other.
Meanwhile, members of DMCH employees union continued with their dharna outside the hospital premises today. The employees observed a black day and wore black badges in protest.
Mr Chander Mohan Kalia, president and Ms Navraj Kaur, general secretary of the DMCH union, in a press note today said that the police had ‘cooked-up’ the story by producing Gian Chand. They said that it was a deliberate attempt to defame the union and its struggle. The employees were of the view that how could a person leave his house and family for the sake of just Rs 1,000?
Ms Baljit Kaur, a staff nurse while addressing the rally, said that the police was unnecessarily harassing the employees. She said that she was pregnant and police raided her parental house in Hambran in the wee hours today just to harass them.
The rally was addressed by many senior leaders and employees of other organisations.
