At least 26 contractual employees at Srinagar’s main drug deaddiction facility at SMHS Hospital are set to be relieved of their services on August 31. Technical and support staff at the government Drug Deaddiction Centre, Srinagar, said the employees, first hired in 2011, have been working on yearly extensions as multipurpose attendants. However, this year, the employees have been told that further extension will not be provided. The situation has created uncertainties within the department as to the functioning of the DDC after September 1. One of the contractual employees, who spoke to The Indian Express on the condition of anonymity, said, “We have been working here for 14 years. We have put this department together steadily over the years. Many of us are technical workers running the labs and pharmacies. Now our future hangs in the balance.” In a departmental meeting held on August 25 to assess the “manpower crisis” it was decided that the “Deaddiction IPD services at Community General Hospital Unit, SMHS Complex, will be stopped till the manpower crisis is resolved. Only severe cases requiring admission will be entertained at the government Psychiatric Disease Hospital Srinagar (Main Hospital) at Rainawar”, the employee said. Additionally, sources said, OPD services, including deaddiction and general psychiatry etc “will be stopped at the DDC and will be catered to at the main hospital”. However, in a statement issued Sunday, the Health and Medical Education Department refuted claims of deaddiction services being stopped. “It is for information of all that there will be no interruption of services at any facility and IPD, OPD and all other services at Government Psychiatric Diseases Hospital, Rainawari, as well as the Community General Hospital Unit located in SMHS complex will continue as per normal routine.” Medical Superintendent of the hospital Dr Ajaz Baba told The Indian Express, “There will be no crisis. We are deputing staff to the Centre and all functions will be carried out as they have been.” The multipurpose attendants were engaged in 2010 with a monthly salary of Rs 3,000. After two subsequent increments, the staff started getting a salary of Rs 9,300. From issuing tickets, to running pharmacies and cleaning the premises, the staff keep the Centre functional on a day to day basis. Another employee said, “for at least six months, we have been wondering whether we would get extensions. Most of us are over the age of securing any other job. We have given all our time to making this Centre efficient and this year as well, we thought we would get extensions since posts were not advertised again and no process for engaging new staff has yet been carried out.”
