Around 600 labourers, who turned ‘Covid-19 warriors’ and have been working for government hospitals in West Bengal since the 2020 lockdown, say they don’t know what lies ahead of them now since their contract expires on August 31. Last year’s lockdown forced the labourers to come back to their native place in West Bengal. Some of them were also tested positive for Covid-19, but they fought it anyway.
With the initiative of Murshidabad health officials and a few doctors, the labourers started to work at Beliaghata ID hospital, MR Bangur Hospital, Calcutta Medical College among others and formed a ‘Covid warrior’ club. They then came to Kolkata and worked there as well.
For the last one year, they have been helping patients in lieu of which they were receiving a monthly salary of Rs 15,000, which was “good for sustenance”.
Khudu Sheik, 30, who used to work in Mumbai and is now living with his wife in Murshidabad and working at Beliaghata ID hospital in Kolkata, said, “We don’t know what we will do. We request the government to renew our contract, we can’t go back to Mumbai for work now.”
Another, Alamgir Mondal, 30, who lives with his wife and two children in Domkal Murshidabad, told News18, “We have given letters to the government. We are now trained and can work at any health care industry. I have my family at home how will we live if the contract is not renewed.”
Dr Amarendranath Roy, assistant professor at Murshidabad College, said they are equipped to be working for patients infected with diseases such as Covid-19. They have been trained for a year now on how to check the oxygen level, blood pressure of Covid patients and feed them. “If their contract is renewed that will be good for them.”
The number of Covid-19 cases have now significantly gone down to nearly 30 in Kolkata. And the workers fear that their contracts may not be renewed, which used to be done every two months since July 2020.
Dr Yogiraj Roy, assistant professor, who trained the workers, said, “They helped us during the crisis and they are now well trained. So, if the government thinks of keeping then that will be good.”
A government official said, “We are reviewing… It (contract) will be renewed where there is actual requirement”.
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