Demanding increase in wages and regularisation of their jobs, part-time social guides at AIIMS have sought the Health Ministry's intervention and submitted a representation to the Union Health Minister.
Around 90 social guides work in various OPDs, departments and wards of the premier medical institution with their main function being public dealing.
However, the guides claim that despite their usual six-hour duty on a monthly allowance of Rs 6,000, they are engaged in extra work during the outbreak of diseases like dengue, swine flu, etc.
"There is a high infection zone with patient contact in OPDs and we are also doing extra work in epidemics like dengue, swine flu, etc. We are not getting any kind of medical help also," says the representation submitted on January 23.
The social guides are progeny of C or D grades permanent employees recruited by the AIIMS administration for a period of six months on a travel allowance of Rs 4,000.
Their tenure, however, gets an extension of six months and the last such extension was given in January this year up to July.
With no entitlement to any leave except extra ordinary leave without pay and no medical facilities, the guides have made a demand for regularisation stating that some of them have been working for over 12 years on less wages and were now not in a position to find job somewhere else.
"A delegation of around 10 representatives met Health Minister JP Nadda and he promised us that he would speak to the Director AIIMS about our issues," said a social guide.
However, AIIMS Medical Superintendent DK Sharma said, "The job of the social guides is voluntary and it is not genuine to make such demands." He also denied their claims of doing extra work.
Meanwhile, the social guides had also submitted a similar representation to Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan at an election rally on February 4, which was supposed to be addressed by the Union Health Minister but was cancelled due to other engagements of the Minister.
The Minister had then said that he would convey their sentiments to Nadda.
