Dialysis centre staff stage protest seeking pay hike and several other demands

BENGALURU: The state may witness a health emergency in the coming days, especially those needing dialysis, with the Karnataka State Dialysis Employees’ Union warning the government that they will stop services in dialysis centres across the state and hold a strike if it does not respond to their problems.

The KSDEU members had staged a protest last year seeking fulfilment of their demands. At that time, dialysis patients faced serious problems without proper services being available.

Chetan, state president, KSDEU, said the government has sought two weeks’ time to respond to their demands.

Chetan, state president, State Dialysis Employees Union said, “The government is not paying our salaries on time. It has neither given us additional allowance nor provided Provident fund. Due to this, the employees are facing difficulties. If our problems are not resolved within two weeks, we will call a statewide protest by shutting the dialysis centres in every district and taluk government hospitals in the state. If we go ahead with the strike, the lives of dialysis patients will also be affected”.

What are the major demands?

The government should release salary arrears for working staff.

Pending additional allowance amount from last year should be paid immediately.

Provident Funds (PF) is not applicable to dialysis employees. Hence, the government should issue an order regarding applying for PF for the employees.

Superiors stop harassing their subordinates.

Health department has withheld wages of those who have gone on maternity leave. It should be paid immediately.

More than 1,000 employees are working in 167 dialysis centres across the state, under the RBS and Sanjeevini programmes. The employees are now demanding that the government pay their arrears along with their salary. The employees have met Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao and requested him to fulfil their demands. The authorities have sought two weeks’ time to solve the problems and requested the employees’ union not to close down the dialysis centres. The minister assured them that the government would respond to their problems.