KOLKATA: Anger among the nursing staff of
AMRI Hospital
in
Salt Lake
over the death of a colleague was hijacked by trade union members and outsiders on Thursday evening and led to the thrashing of a senior administrative staff. Fearing political repercussion, the hospital authorities have not filed a complaint. The police have evidence of the attack but have shied away from taking action on their own.
According to sources, nurses at the hospital had returned to work after being initially agitated about Uma Xess's death when incitement from union members allegedly affiliated to the ruling party stoked the embers. The union that represents group D staff has been making demands that were unmet. They used the opportunity to stoke trouble.
“When news of Xess's death broke around 7.30am on Thursday and word went around that she hadn't received proper treatment, we got extremely agitated. Emergency medical officer
Anindya Sarkar and nursing superintendent Tulika Roy had failed to get her properly treated. We were abo ut to stop work when senior administrative officials coaxed us to continue,“ recounted a nurse.
As talks continued, anger over Xess's death simmered among nurses. They wanted the management to take action against Sarkar and Roy . But from all accounts sourced by TOI, violent protests were not on their agenda. It was a little before 2pm when nurses on afternoon shift started arriving that the INTTUC-affiliated trade union representing group D staff jointed the fray. When HR head Gaurav Nair called senior nurses to his chamber, the union members convinced the latter to ask Nair to step out. Once Nair did so, he was mobbed and brutally thrashed.
The management on Friday set up a four-member panel led by Dr Susrut Banerjee to investigate into Xess's death. The report will be ready within a week.
During the day , hospital authorities held several rounds of meeting with staff to thrash out a number of issues, including the quantum of monetary assistance to the family of Xess.
On Friday , Xess's family members arrived from Sundergarh in Odisha to carry back her body for cremation.
Her uncle
Kshitish Chandra Xess
said she was the primary bread earner. AMRI Hospitals has offered her brother Umesh a job.