At least 10 women outsourced staff of Gandhi Hospital are forced to stay at a shelter home there, as residents of their locality at Chengicherla chased them away fearing that they would spread the virus. Nine of them are sweepers and one a patient care provider.
The residents asked them to either not attend to their duties or stay away from the locality. The situation went out of hand with the residents wielding sticks and brooms and threatening to destroy their houses.
However, the outsourced employees chose to attend to their duties and stay away from their family, worried over losing their jobs. With the men folk out of work, these women take care of their families with a mere ₹9,400 monthly salary. The ten workers live in a basti at Chengicherla.
Recalling the ‘harsh’ experience, D. Yellamma (43), a sweeper, said that when they returned from work on April 1, the residents gathered at their houses. Yellamma lives with his husband, three daughters and two sons. Both her sons are jobless now due to the lockdown. So, she is the sole breadwinner of the family.
The patient care provider from the same locality, G. Sujatha, has a similar story to tell. “I was worried I will lose the job,” she said.
They have been staying at Swami Sivananda Shelter Home behind the hospital’s emergency block for the last 10 days. Ten other outsourced employees from other localities stay there with them. They are provided three meals a day.
Staying away from the comfort of their homes, and warmth of their families, they keep in touch with their family over the phone.
“After a tiring day, we used to cook food using some extra oil, and kaaram podi (red chilli powder).We miss it these days,” Sujatha said.
The employees have now requested the authorities concerned to grant them five days’ leave.
