A payment drought lasting two months propelled all staff at Una’s Krishna Lab—a pillar of Himachal Pradesh’s Mukhyamantri Nidan Yojana—into a resolute three-hour strike Tuesday. Meant to furnish budget-friendly lab tests at the regional hospital, the setup now mirrors employee despair over essentials slipping away.
Remote workers, many from Dudhraj and beyond, huddle in leased dwellings, besieged by rent hikes, utility arrears, grocery shortages, and familial duties unmet. Management’s track record of vague nods peaked with a broken Monday salary vow, pushing the 9 AM-noon halt.
Unified in protest, they signal readiness for amplified state-level campaigns sans lasting solutions. ‘Survival without wages is impossible; we love our jobs but need pay,’ voices rang out. Narendra Kumar detailed mental strain from landlord standoffs and bare cupboards, as Sanjana lamented educational sacrifices amid the squeeze.
Caught off-guard, CMO Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Verma mobilized hospital resources post-facto. ‘No advance word, but government labs handle every required test—no patient suffers,’ he guaranteed, with oversight intensifying.
Beyond immediate fixes, this unrest probes the model’s resilience under fiscal strain. Policymakers face a litmus test: resolve dues promptly to sustain momentum for accessible diagnostics, or risk eroding faith in vital public health expansions.