Appreciation has been pouring in for healthcare workers and supporting staff on the front lines of COVID-19 battle, but sanitation workers working in the isolation ward of Gandhi Hospital are greeted with the hostility of neighbours upon returning home after duty.
It was earlier reported here that 10 women who work in the hospital’s sanitation wing were chased away from their homes in Chengicherla, Medchal, over fears of spreading the virus in the village. They were asked to make a choice between staying away from home and quitting work. On April 1, residents of the village, wielding brooms and sticks, had threatened to destroy their homes.
The women chose to continue reporting the duty as they are the sole earning members as others in their families are not able to find work due to the lockdown. For a salary of ₹9,400 per month, their job involves cleaning bathrooms, mopping and sweeping floors as well as clearing liquid waste of patients.
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Since that incident, the women have been staying at a shelter home on the hospital premises.
One of the sanitation employees, D. Yellamma, said that they continue to stay away from their families.
Meanwhile, Medchal district officials, who were informed of the issue, have assured to resolve it.
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Ms. Yellamma said that they got the job on contract basis in 2007.
“Our starting salary was ₹3,400. After 13 years, it stands at ₹9,400. We request to be paid ₹18,000 per month, on par with municipal sanitation workers,” she said.
Salary hike plea
Some of the sanitation workers at the hopsital took to Tik Tok app to request Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for a salary hike.
In their 18-second video, the women workers announce their willingness to be part of the fight against coronavirus by saying “Prapachaniki corona yudham, dhaniki gandhi hospital sanitation workers andharu sidham. Jai Hind,” which roughly translates to ‘The world is waging war against coronavirus. Sanitation workers at Gandhi Hospital are ready to fight. Jai Hind’.