‘ High-decibel’ shock for Lohia hosp patients
NUISANCE Striking contractual staff of the hospital played songs on a sound system near the OPD
LUCKNOW: Patients and attendants at the Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Science here got a ‘high-pitched’ shock on Monday morning when someone began playing songs on a sound system on the hospital premises.
As hospital staff and attendants scampered to put an end to the ‘disturbing sounds’, they discovered that the songs were being played by the striking contractual staff of the hospital near the OPD.
Use of high-pitched sound system on a hospital campus is prohibited and even for conferences or lectures, sound system is used only inside conference halls.
As per reports, film songs were played from around 7 am for about half-an-hour, when senior officials came and stopped it. However, ‘loud music’ in the hospital confused many patients, who took it as a holiday in the OPD and went back. “It was really unwarranted. We got it stopped immediately after getting information. In fact, the contractual staffers were to protest near the gate and not near the OPD,” said Lohia institute director Prof Dipak Malviya.
However, the protesters continued to shout slogans against the institute administration and the state government for “ignoring their demands of wage revision.”
Sources said five operations lined up for the morning had to postponed due to the protest but the administration claimed work went on smoothly.
“Initially I thought the sound was from outside the campus. But, I saw speaker boxes near the OPD itself,” said Ram Milan, an attendant.
“I suddenly heard loud sound and songs. Later I discovered that it was the institute staff playing songs and some of them were even dancing to the tunes,” said Ishtiak, another attendant.
The agitating contractual staffers are demanding salary at par with regular staff and the institute has sent a proposal to this effect to the government. “We have forwarded their request to the government but approval might take some time,” said Prof Malviya.