Health Dept Refutes Protest Claims by Sanathnagar TIMS Staff

The Telangana health department on Wednesday refuted reports claiming that outsourcing employees of the Dr Marri Channa Reddy Telangana Institute of Medical Sciences (Dr MCR TIMS) in Sanathnagar had staged a protest.

Officials clarified that the protesting workers were associated with construction firm Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited (MEIL), which is currently executing the TIMS project, and were wrongly identified as hospital staff.

According to a health official, the dispute arose between MEIL and its sanitation contractor, STAR agency. The agency’s services were engaged directly by MEIL, and Dr MCR TIMS does not utilise the services of STAR Sanitation Agency.

Officials confirmed that the dispute has now been resolved. STAR agency owner Prasad apologised to the management of Dr MCR TIMS regarding the situation and provided assurances that the pending salaries of the agency's workers would be disbursed within the next two days.

The health department issued the clarification following social media posts and reports that linked the demonstration to staff at the newly established super-speciality hospital.

Officials reiterated that MEIL is responsible for executing the construction of the Sanathnagar TIMS project, while the state health department handles operationalising the facility and arranging its medical and non-medical workforce.