Sulabh volunteers pick up brooms to clean hospitals

NEW DELHI, July 26: A showdown was averted at Safdarjung hospital this afternoon, when 60 volunteers of the NGO -- Sulabh International S...

NEW DELHI, July 26: A showdown was averted at Safdarjung hospital this afternoon, when 60 volunteers of the NGO — Sulabh International Social Service Organisation — tried to enter the hospital premises to take over the work of the striking hospital employees. The striking employees threatened the volunteers, but the few workers present could not do much because of the police protection given to the volunteers.

Despite the threats, the volunteers rolled up their sleeves and set about cleaning the wards. Armed with brooms and swabs, they swept through the wards, clearing heaps of garbage that had accumulated over the last seven days of the strike. The casualty and gynaecology ward were given a through cleaning, even as top officials of Sulabh discussed how the threat by the workers should be tackled. “We have been told in no uncertain terms by the strikers that we should stop this work,” says Susmita Shekhar, chairperson of Sulabh. “They have told us that tomorrow they will not let us work, but we will deal with that tomorrow.”

Being a Sunday, today the strength of the striking employees was negligible. The hospital administration seems to have taken full advantage of this and got the cleanliness drive going. With the employees having clearly stated that they will not let any private workers help the hospital administration, at Safdarjung, efforts were on to get most of the garbage out of the wards by this evening.

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“We have brought our own things to clean up the place,” says Shekhar. “The hospital has given us instructions on the areas they want cleared earlier and also about the garbage that needs to go into the incinerator. By tomorrow the whole place will be clean.”

With the government having given the go ahead to hospitals to employ private staff for sanitation, laundry, kitchen and canteen services at Ram Manohar Lohia, Safdarjung and Lady Hardinge Medical College, there were afternoon meetings in all three hospitals.

After the Safdarjung officials decided to employ Sulabh, there was frantic activity in all the wards. With brooms, swabs and phenyl, the volunteers cleaned every nook and corner. Bloody swabs, injection vials, bandages and rotting fruit peels were cleared, overflowing dustbins emptied and the pile outside the casualty ward kept growing. Phenyl was doused in the smelly wards and a lot of scrubbing was done.

“We have been waiting for this,” says Dr Rajesh at the Safdarjung casualty. “The strike has badly affected everything we do. There are no tests being conducted, there is no one to move the trolleys and till today we were working amidst piles of garbage.”

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Sulabh is all set to clean up Lady Hardinge and Ram Manohar Lohia hospital tomorrow. Around 300 volunteers are expected to join the clean-up act if the striking workers do not turn violent. Dr Vikas Vajpayee, General Secretary of the Safdarjung Karamchari Sangharsh Samiti, had categorically told Express Newsline that the striking employees would by no means allow any fresh appointments and volunteers to take over their work.

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said the designation gives law enforcement “enhanced powers to combat a group that has instilled fear through violence and intimidation”.

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