Laboratory technicians deputed at Gurunanak School for collection of samples for Covid-19 test from suspects in the containment zone of Hindpiri have said that they are facing food problems.

This came to the fore after they replied to a show-cause notice on Monday issued by district civil surgeon Dr Vijay Bihari Prasad on Saturday.

The notice was issued to 10 laboratory technicians who reported late at the school, which has been demarcated as a control room to take care of Hindpiri.

The reporting time was 7am but they reported around one-and-a-half hours late to duty, causing inconvenience to those who had turned up to give samples.

Manoj Kumar, the joint secretary of Jharkhand Medical Laboratory Technologists Association and a technician of RIMS microbiology department, said the lab hands had replied to the civil surgeon apprising him of their woes.

“The laboratory technicians in their reply have clearly mentioned that it was not possible for them to turn up early in the morning as there was no arrangement of food at the Gurunanak School centre and reaching the control room on an empty stomach is not good to prevent infection from novel coronavirus. In their reply they said they used to get one food packet containing four puris and limited vegetables at no specified time and thus in order to come to work after taking proper food from home they reported late on Saturday,” Manoj said.

The civil surgeon, however, said that the matter has been resolved.

“The matter has been sorted out. Those issued show-cause notices have reported to duty and they are working,” Singh said without going into details of the food issue.

Manoj said: “Very few people can realise the problem of lab technicians who work for 10 hours wearing poorly ventilated PPE (personal protective equipment) in this summer heat.”