Bhubaneswar: Kalinga Hospital Employees Union has called for a strike on December 18, alleging industrial unrest, repeated violations of statutory labour protections, and arbitrary administrative actions.
A notice informing about the strike has been sent from the union to the hospital authorities as well as police, Health Secretary, Principal Secretary to the Labour Department, Khurda Collector, Labour Commissioner, and the press, among others. “Despite repeated emails (Outlook mails dated 06.10.2025 and 11.10.2025) and formal requests for a meeting with the Chairman to amicably discuss regarding employee concerns, access to the Chairman has consistently been denied through deliberate delays,” the December 3 notice read.
However, the hospital authority has sharply declined such allegations and dubbed the strike call a rumour. “All this (the strike call) is a rumour, which is in circulation. We will look into the matter and get back to the media at an appropriate time,” CEO of the hospital Santosh Kumar Dora told Odisha Bytes on Friday.
In 2013, health services at Kalinga Hospital were crippled due to protest and strike by the employees, including doctors. Around 40 doctors and employees of the hospital had protested persistently against the high-handedness of the management in dealing with their problems, according to a New Indian Express report.
The agitation by the doctors had lasted more than 20 days.
According to reports, some doctors and employees even had to resort to a hunger strike to bring their grievances to the notice of the management. The hospital’s outdoor facility was suspended. Even the registration counter, drug store and administrative building was locked down. The employees were demanding salary, increments and protesting the alleged high-handed manner in which their grievances were addressed.
Following the agitation, the hospital’s managing director and two other staff from the management were removed, the hospital had claimed in the report.
