Chennai: There were days when Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) depots had doctors providing emergency treatment for MTC crew who fell ill on duty. However, now no depots have doctors, forcing crew to take treatment outside and burn a big hole in their pockets.
Reliable sources say the doctor, appointed for MTC headquarters, is not properly discharging his duty and this is a testimony that an employee, who developed chest pain recently, died on the premises of MTC headquarters even after pharmacists attended on him.
Sources said that an office assistant of MTC, who worked in Pallavan House, suddenly swooned and developed chest pain on October 10. “When we took him to the doctor’s room, he was not available and pharmacists reportedly administered injection and gave treatment. Later, the patient went to sleep. However, he did not wake up. A doctor was soon called who declared him dead,” source added.
Recalling the days when doctors would go around main depots to treat sick MTC staff years ago, M. Shanmugam, general secretary, Labour Progressive Federation (LPF), said that the transport department should take care of workers’ health.
“Even corporate companies have doctors to treat their employees. In such a condition, even MTC headquarters has no doctors. Even if there are doctors, they simply put signature and leave the place,” he charged. Doctors used to visit depots and advise MTC staff on keeping good health, he noted. He urged the department to appoint doctors in select depots, where MTC workers can get medical aid.
An MTC driver said, “I am diabetic and every month I undergo medical check up in a private hospital. It will be good if MTC sets up clinics in main depots.”
When contacted, Anbu Abraham, Managing Director, MTC, claimed that there are three doctors in the city and they keep visiting depots. “Further, health camps are being conducted for crew of MTC buses and they even undergo full body health check ups,” he said.
