Diamond hospital staff decry inhumane working conditions
Although fearful of victimisation, staff of the Diamond Diagnostic Centre on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) believe Government has neglected them, as the conditions under which they work are nothing less than
The medical facility had no proper systems in place and is insanitary, some staffers said
inhumane.
On Tuesday, staff members contacted Guyana Times via telephone, where they relayed the worrying situation, which has left them frustrated.
Guyana Times later visited the hospital, where complaining staff members, for fear of victimisation, asked not to be photographed. They said the situation was sickening, and no one seemed to be listening to their cries.
“The institution is not functioning properly, we don’t have no proper system in the place… we are not getting anything. We don’t really know what’s going on,” a hospital attendant told this publication.
While they have to deal with insanitary working conditions, the issue of gratuity payment is also of burning concern. Staff members are upset that they continue to be pushed around when it is time for them to receive their gratuity. Staff members who seem most affected include the maids and porters.
One maid said she was due her six-month gratuity since December, but to date, she has not received it. The situation is the same for many other staff, she said, explaining that most of the staff are employed on a contractual basis and continue to suffer.
“You know when you are a contract worker, and today or tomorrow they lay you off, you have nothing to get and your gratuity is what you are depending on,” a staff said.
According to another hospital attendant, the facility floods continuously, whether or not it rains, as a result of some faulty work done during repairs.
According to staff, they have tried and have failed miserably at seeking to contact the Regional Health Officer (RHO), under whose purview such matters fall. Her office is located in Triumph on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD).
“She is supposed to be visiting this hospital on a regular basis, at least on a weekly basis to see the struggle that the staff are facing and we are not getting on to her. She gave some of us a number, and when we call it, we are not getting through,” staffers said.
When Guyana Times visited the medical facility, most of the staff had already left. Those who remained to speak with this newspaper said they were “too frustrated” and upset over the situation.
They are hoping that Government through the Health Ministry would work to address the situation.
