Dialysis technicians demand extension of tenure and pending salaries

CHENNAI: Dialysis technicians in Chennai staged a demonstration demanding extension of their tenure and clearance of salary arrears at the Raja Rathinam Stadium on Tuesday.

As many as 160 technicians are working at government hospitals and other government healthcare facilities across the State after they were appointed through the Medical Recruitment Board and their contract ended on November 23, 2022.

The Doctors Association for Social Equality, Federation of Government Doctors Association and Tamil Nadu Dialysis Technicians Welfare Association demanded the extension of their service period. The State Health Department has switched to outsourcing systems through private agencies for the appointment of the staff members. However, the associations oppose the move saying that the technicians should be given an extension and outsourcing should not be done as it is only going to profit the corporate companies.

Dialysis technicians were appointed for Rs. 20,000 but it has been cut to Rs. 7,000. Moreover, their salaries have been pending for the last six months. The technicians requested the State government to immediately clear their arrears.

"For every three beds, there should be a dialysis technician as per the guidelines. However, there are fewer dialysis technicians at government hospitals and more posts need to be created for us,' the technicians requested. Dialysis technicians urged that the appointment of dialysis technicians should be done on a permanent basis and vacancies should be filled for the post for dialysis technicians in all government hospitals.

"As per the labour laws, if their salaries are Rs. 7,000, it is a violation of the laws. The technicians have served the patients who suffered from kidney ailments during the pandemic and many of them were affected due to Covid," says Dr G R Rabindranath, secretary of the Doctor's Association for Social Equality.