Berhampur: While patients continue to suffer due to poor medical facilities, the cease-work stir by employees of 55 blood banks across the state have added to their woes. The stir has been called demanding regularization of jobs.
Among other demands include extension of facilities like employees’ provident funds government quarters and retirement benefits like pension to blood bank employees.
Meanwhile, the stir has severely affected health care in MKCG as at least 182 employees, including technicians, social workers and junior cleaners left for Bhubaneswar to join the agitation.
Those suffering from thalassemia, sickle cell, haemophilia and those who need blood transfusion regularly are having a harrowing time. Around 1,400 patients take blood from the Odisha Blood Bank regular every month in Berhampur.
“We had given a month’s time for fulfillment of our demands. We are forced to go into agitation as the government did not fulfill the demands,” said Jeebanananda Patnaik, Secretary of Odisha State Blood Bank Employees Association.
“We have been working for over two decades. But our jobs are yet to be regularised thought the government has assured us time and again,’’ Patnaik added.
For the benefit of patients, around 500 units of blood of all different groups in the blood banks were stocked before the strike. However, now the bank is a facing a shortage of 125 units of blood, sources said.
Around 15 Thalassemia patients were supplied blood before the cease-work strike. Now, only 5 such patients are getting supply, informed sources.
Ramaniranjan Gadanayak, general secretary, Blood bank non-permanent employees association said “Our stir has entered the fifth day today. However, the government has not come forward to discuss our issues. So, we have decided to continue the stir for an indefinite period now.”
PNN