BGH lab technicians abstain from Covid-19 sample collection

BOKARO: Lab technicians of Bokaro General Hospital (BGH) stayed away from collection of samples from residents during the recent mega Covid-19 sampling drives demanding special incentives for the work.
Authorities of BGH, a dedicated Covid hospital in the district, provided some of its staff members to help the district authorities in the drive held in 20 places and collected 9,727 samples, the reports of which are expected to arrive on Wednesday.
Chas SDO Shashi Prakash Singh said, “We conducted the second mega camp in major industrial pockets including BSL, CCL, Dalmia Cement besides railway colonies, police lines and others. We received support from CCL, railways and others by providing their technicians. BSL has not provided any lab technicians.”
BSL chief of communication, Manikant Dhan, said, “No technicians from our hospital took part in the mega camp.”
Bokaro DC Rajesh Kumar Singh said, “I will look into the matter to sort out the issues.”
Of the 20 camps, two were held at Mohan Kumar Mangalam Stadium and Bokaro Club for BSL employees and officials. BGH’s own technicians refrained from the sample collection work at the two camps. An embarrassed BSL management provided a few of its employees as support staff, eight teams of lab technicians were sent by the district health department. About 1,800 samples from BSL employees were collected from these twin camps.
Sources said the technicians did not collect samples from patients coming to the hospital following which the administration had to send their own staff at BGH regularly.
In the first mega camp held on August 31, 130 people tested positive out of over 9,000 samples collected.
The BGH technicians, who included 13 lab and 15 X-ray operating staff, had also abstained from the first mega camp. According to the technicians, four of their colleagues were above the age of 55 and they are constantly on lab duty at the hospital. They demanded special incentive for any additional work, including sample collection, over and above their regular duty.