The Southern Railway Mazdoor Union has called for immediate recruitment of medical/para-medical personnel to supplement the staff strength at Railway Hospital, Perambur, where the number of COVID-19 cases and mortality rate are on the rise.
SRMU general secretary N. Kanniah said he had written to the Southern Railway General Manager expressing serious concern since the number of railway employees and their family members getting infected was increasing with each passing day.
Rise in cases
Though the railway administration had taken steps to control the spread of the virus, the continuing rise in cases and fatalities among railway employees was very disturbing, he said, adding that at least 24 serving and retired railway employees died after testing positive.
Mr. Kanniah, who is also the working president of All India Railwaymen Federation, said the infrastructural requirement for treating patients at Railway Hospital, Perambur, required immediate attention. Of the 23 ventilators only 15 were in good condition. Though 11 ventilators were being procured, there was an urgent need to purchase at least 100 ventilators exclusively for COVID-19 patients. He said the medical team at the railway hospital was working hard to combat the infection, but had limitations owing to manpower shortage. “It is learnt that most of the medical/para-medical staff recruited on contract basis to battle COVID-19 are hesitant to join duty. This has led to an acute shortage of manpower causing fatigue to staff engaged in quarantine/isolation wards as they had to put in more working hours in a stress-filled atmosphere,” he said.
Asked about the number of COVID-19 positive cases and related deaths in Railway Hospital, Perambur, the Chief Public Relations Officer said information had already been shared with the Tamil Nadu government. The bodies of the deceased were handed over to State Government officials in the presence of family members.
