The employees have kept the hospital, which provides medical service to around 400 patients every day, padlocked since November 2.
According to the hospital management, doctors and nurses have not been allowed to go inside and patients needing emergency service, too, have been denied admission. [break]
The employees, led by All Nepal Health Workers Association close to the UCPN (Maoist), have halted all services at the hospital, demanding hike in their salaries and night duty allowances. They have demanded that at least Rs 3,000 be added to their monthly salaries apart from Rs 200 as nigh duty allowance.
The association had forwarded a 23-point demand to the hospital management four months ago. The hospital management has claimed that it has already addressed 21 demands apart from salary hike and nigh duty allowances. However, the association has said that it will not withdraw its strike until their two major demands are met.
"We have addressed almost all demands. We have also raised their salaries and allowances as much as we could," said Santosh Kumar Khanal, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the hospital. "But, they have continued with their illegal strike."
Meanwhile, organizing a press meet on Saturday, the hospital management has threatened to fire all employees participating in the “illegal strike”. "We will fire all the employees who disrupt our services," said Khanal. "We will soon resume the hospital service with the help of local administration."
According to Khanal, the hospital management has sought clarification from 33 security guards, three staff nurses and one lab assistant, who are on the frontline of the strike. "If they fail to come up with satisfactory explanations within a week, we will have to terminate their contracts," said Khanal.
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