The Sanjay Gandhi Hospital & Research Institute employees have called off the strike yesterday afternoon as the Karnataka government released Rs. 30 lakh for their two months salaries. However, the supplier bills of the oxygen and other medical consumables are still pending, the hospital sources said.

The state government funds will now allow the hospital’s 250 employees to receive two months salaries of February and March. Unfortunately, the suppliers payments are pending and this is critical for the hospital which handles all accident cases affecting victims of the lower socio economic strata, informed Manohar Modite, president, Sanjay Gandhi Hospital & Research Institute Employees Association. “We are back to work only to save the poor patients. The government must release the pending payments so that the hospital can run smoothly,” he added.

The sources added that since the supplier bills were pending, there has been much resistance from companies like Indian Oxygen Ltd., to continue cylinder supply. The oxygen supply bills worth Rs. 25 lakh are pending for over a year. Machines like C-Arm and ventilators are under repair and there are no funds for maintenance, they said.

When the 250 employees including doctors, nurses and Group C and D category called for an indefinite strike from Monday, March 9, 2004 because no salaries, leave encashment benefits and maintenance funds, the hospital services including blood bank and the x-ray wing came to a grinding halt.

Although the hospital made arrangements with two doctors and nurses manning the causality and the emergency services, the inflow of serious accident cases caused considerable inconvenience.

There is no justification in the government grants as they have been reducing the amount every year, said Ramdase Gowda, secretary, Sanjay Gandhi Hospital & Research Institute Employees Association. In 1992-93, when hospital was a 75-bed facility, the State government grant was to the tune of grants Rs. 1.98 crore. In 2002-2003, when the bed strength is 125, the grant is a mere Rs. 90 lakh. The annual expenses to run the hospital amounts to Rs. 3 crore which includes salaries and facility maintenance.

In his bid to fight the financial crisis, Prof. N Srinivasan, director, has sought the approval for the Institute to conduct on a full-fledged basis degree/diploma and post graduation courses according to the norms of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) from the academic year August 2004 so that the revenue generated from such programmes would help to run the hospital.