Pune : Hospital employees in Shirur staged a half-hour work-stoppage protest on Tuesday morning against an incident involving a staff member who was subjected to pushing, shoving, and verbal abuse. A firm demand was made for the deployment of Home Guards for security at the hospital. The protest was called off only after receiving assurances from the administration. (Pune latest news)
Staff Member Attacked Post-OPD Hours
Employee Kiran Sonawane reported that after the Out-Patient Department (OPD) hours had concluded, an individual approached him. When Sonawane inquired about the person’s purpose or if they required an examination, the individual gave evasive answers. Following this, the person began verbally abusing Sonawane, lunged at him, and physically assaulted him. Sonawane was startled and frightened by the sudden incident. Other employees intervened and escorted the individual out of the hospital premises.
Upon learning of the incident, the staff of the Rural Hospital strongly protested. Under the guidance of Sandeep Lagade, Vice President of the Maharashtra Government Nurses Federation (Pune District), and Indumati Thorat, President of the Maharashtra Nurses Federation, a total of 26 staff members, including nurses, technical staff, and other personnel, participated in the work-stoppage. Sandeep Lagade noted that a large number of senior citizens, women, and patients from rural areas visit Shirur Rural Hospital for treatment, and the hospital has a significant number of female employees. Incidents of this nature have created a sense of insecurity among the staff.
Demand for Home Guard Deployment
To prevent such incidents in the future and ensure the safety of both employees and patients, a request has been made to the government for the police administration to deploy Home Guard personnel at the hospital. This demand will be officially submitted to the state government.
