FIRST ever of its kind, a free clinic for unorganised sector workers in the state of Karnataka has been started by Bengaluru district committees of CITU. Dr C N Manjunath, director of Jaydeva Institute of Cardiology, Bengaluru inaugurated the Shramik Clinic for Unorganised Sector Workers at Jyothi Basu Bavan, CITU district committee office on April 16, 2022 in the presence of CITU national vice president  A K Padmanabhan.

The clinic with free medical consultation will be available every day for the families of unorganised workers who are members of CITU affiliated Unions. Around 25,000 members of various unorganised sector workers unions in the district will be benefitted by the clinic. Domestic workers, construction workers, auto/taxi drivers, migrant workers, street vendors, rag pickers and other unorganised sector workers will be beneficiaries. The intervention of CITU during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown has enabled the urban poor unorganised sector workers unionisation under CITU. The medical relief work and free oxygen service centre set up at Jyothi Basu Bavan during the second wave lockdown gave an impetus to the starting of the clinic.

Dr C N Manjunath addressing the gathering of the unorganised sector workers said health illiteracy and poverty along with commercialisation of health services including lack of sufficient budgetary allocations has made it difficult for the majority of Indians to access good health care. Among such deprived, the share of unorganised sector workers is huge. Neither their work nor their rights are duly recognised and ensured. In such a situation, efforts to establish a free clinic for the unorgansied sector by CITU is a good initiative which has to be supported, strengthened and expanded further. He assured his full cooperation to successfully run the clinic.

A K Padmanabhan congratulating the CITU district committees for the initiative, said that CITU as a militant workers organisation, is, while fighting for the rights of workers, also involved in these sort of relief/welfare works in other parts of the country too.

CITU secretary K N Umesh addressed the gathering and explained how the relief works undertaken during the covid pandemic brought the unorganised sector workers nearer to unions and the idea of a clinic came up with the monetary help of organised sector workers unions.

Shramik Clinic along with providing free medical consultation will also provide subsidised medicines and diagnostics laboratory service to the workers.

Dr Prithvi, a lady doctor at the Clinic, CITU vice president H N Gopal Gowda, secretaries N Prathap Simha, B N Manjunath were present along with the leaders of various unorganised sector workers unions. K Prakash, CITU vice president presided over the funstion. Mangalamma of Domestic Workers Union welcomed the gathering and Lingaraj of Construction Workers Union gave the vote of thanks.

Different trade unions like LIC employees union, IT and ITES union, migrant workers union, USL employees union and many others handed over cheques to A K Padmanabhan towards the clinic fund for setting up of clinic.