Employees of the COVID-19 testing laboratory in Tamghas were compelled to return home empty-handed after not being paid for five months.
The health workers have returned home without getting paid according to the agreement between the District Disaster Management Committee and the local-level.
A meeting of the District Disaster Management Committee held on June 13, 2020, had decided to provide NRs. 1.5 million to each municipality and Rs. 1 million to each rural municipality to operate the Covid-19 laboratory and isolation centre. However, ten employees of the laboratory have been deprived of their salaries as some locals have not been paid yet. Two lab technologists, three technicians, two assistants, one computer operator, one helper, and one cook have not been paid.
They had started working at COVID-19 Testing Laboratory, Tamghas from September 24, 2020. Dipendra Panthi, a lab technician, complained that they returned home after coordinating with the Resunga Municipality as there was no environment to receive their remuneration till the first week of March, 2021.
Mayor of Resunga Municipality Dilliraj Bhusal said that Gulmi Darbar, Kaligandaki, Satyavati, Chandrakot and Musikot municipalities have not paid the agreed amount as per the decision of the District Disaster Management Committee. The decision to operate the Covid-19 test laboratory was taken by the Disaster Management Committee with the coordination and support of all local levels. Bhusal said that despite the lack of funds for equipment and human resource management from the initial days, some local levels have not paid the amount yet. He said that they did not have the resources to pay the wages and that he was saddened when other local levels did not pay as agreed.
The District Coordination Chief, Chief District Officer, Mayor of the Municipality and the head of Gulmi Hospital were repeatedly reminded the local levels after the 10 employees working in the laboratory were not paid.
Medical lab technologist Muna Chhetri lamented that she had to return home empty-handed today despite working at risk during the COVID infection.
Gulmi Hospital had hired them after publishing a public notice. At the request of everyone, the hospital published information about the staff’s needs and hired the staff in the laboratory, but now the local level has betrayed them, said Uttam Pachya, Chief Doctor of Gulmi Hospital, Tamghas.
He said it was ironic that health workers had to return home empty-handed, overlooking the ethical decisions taken at the peak hour of infection of COVID-19. Chief District Officer Rudra Devi Sharma said that the issue of laboratory and staff was also raised in the meeting of the District Disaster Management Committee.
At present, the COVID-19 test laboratory Tamghas has shut down. According to the government’s decision, only a limited number of laboratories have been set up in the country. The government has set up a laboratory to operate on the basis of swab collection. Chief of the laboratory KP Bhandari said that Gulmi’s laboratory was not on the list to be operated.