Editor,
NEIGRIHMS administration has been getting attention from the public for quite some time for all the wrong reasons. From ban on non- veg food (2017) to the worst Emergency & Casualty response among hospitals in Shillong. It takes hours for a patient to get medical attention. This time, a controversial circular came out which triggered a reaction and created tension on the minds of the employees.
The circular intends to imply that employees are expected to get vaccinated for Covid-19 at the earliest and those failing to do so will have to get tested every 72 hours. As per order of the Supreme Court, no person can be forced to be vaccinated against their consent.
The RTPCR test in NEIGRIHMS costs Rs 600. So for every 72 hours it’ll come to around Rs 6000 per month.(correct me if I’m wrong). Now for an outsourced staff cleaner, the monthly income will be around Rs 9000. If he has to get tested every 72 hours, he is left with Rs 3000 only. How will he survive? An amount of Rs 6000 is not a joke for either outsourced or permanent staff.
Vaccination by force or being made mandatory by adopting coercive methods violates the fundamental right to life of an individual by stripping off his/her right to livelihood. This is a complete harassment on the part of NEIGRIHMS administration. Also people have a right to choose their own medication.
Such an attempt by the administration is a contempt of court and is illegal as Covid-19 vaccination is voluntary. Action should be taken against the administration for using such means to force employees to take the vaccine involuntarily.
Furthermore, a rumour has been going around the outsourced agency RSSO operating in NEIGRIHMS is verbally telling its staff to get vaccinated else be terminated before the month of February. As a result many outsourced staff recently got vaccinated not because of Covid but because of the fear of getting terminated.
Name withheld on request
