The agitating contractual workers of the associated hospital of Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) are determined to obstruct the emergency health services from Thursday. The Uttarakhand Purva Sainik Kalyan Nigam limited (UPNl) workers are on strike from Monday and they have threatened to boycott the emergency services from Thursday if their demand of absorption in the medical college is not accepted.

The striking workers infuriated by the use of force during their secretariat march on Tuesday, forced closure of Out Patient Departments (OPD) of the hospital. The registration counter and the pathology lab which were working with reduced staff were also closed by the contractual workers.

The closure of registration counters, OPDs and pathology services caused problems to the patients visiting the biggest hospital of the state.  The agitating contractual workers assembled outside the pathology lab of the hospital and shouted slogans against the Government.

The strike by the contractual sanitation workers of the hospital has also compounded the woes of the patients and the hospital administration. The situation is particularly worrisome in the wards where heaps of garbage and medical wastes is collected, threatening the health of the in house patients.

The major demand of these contractual workers is that the State Government should transfer their services from UPNl to the medical education department. There are 173 contractual workers in the hospital.

Prior to the merger of the Doon hospital in medical college these workers were deployed by the Hospital Management Committee (HMC) of Doon hospital and Doon women hospital. However after the merger of these hospitals with GDMC, their services were transferred to UPNl.

Earlier in the day, a delegation of the contractual workers met the Principal of the college Dr Pradeep Bharati Gupta and Director Medical Education Dr Ashutosh Sayana. However the talks proved inconclusive.