Bhairahawa, December 23:

The Maoist affiliated All Nepal Public Health Personnel’s Association today disrupted all the services except the emergency ward in Bhairahawa based Universal Medical Teaching College

Hospital.

The patients, who came for treatment even from far distances, were deprived of their basic rights to get treatment. Many of them were compelled to visit hospitals in India.

ANPHPA padlocked the hospital for indefinite period from today, stating that the hospital management turned deaf ear to their demands. Though a four-point demand was put forth to the hospital management 15 days ago, it remained indifferent, said Durga Marasini, chairperson of the ANPHPA medical college unit.

According to Marasini, the agitating employees donned black ribbon on duty as part of their fist phase agitation and then staged sit-in protest. Finally the hospital was padlocked after the management ignored them, he said. “The protest programme will continue until their demands are met.”

Their demands include a minimum salary of Rs 4,600 to the employees, adjustment of the daily wage with the government announced daily wage rate, implementation of a hike of salary by 17 per cent effected by the government in the last fiscal year, arrangement of Rs 2,000 for all permanent and temporary employees as decided by the government.

Meanwhile, Chandra Shekhar Bhardwaj, executive head of the college, said that their salary was increased effectively from September 17, and that the college was ready for the minimum salary scale, and to fix daily wages rate after negotiation.

“The salary of the employees in the hospital was already given more than the scale agreed between the trade union federation and the FNCCI. As such the allowance of Rs 2,000 for all cannot be provided,” Bhardwaj added.