Thuravoor (Alappuzha): In a shocking incident, the porters demanded Rs 16,000 for unloading the biosafety cabin, which is used for COVID fluid test, from the lorry here. Following the argument, the health workers including doctors and nurses managed to unload the equipment. The labourers did not stop them from this.

The porters of CITU Thuravoor unit demanded the huge sum for unloading the equipment at Thuravoor government hospital on Thursday morning. The equipment worth Rs 1.5 lakh was for installing at the TrueNat lab to be set up in the hospital. The machine weighed about 225 kilograms.

Even though Rs 9000 was offered to the labourers, they did not agree to accept it. As the health workers were in dilemma, medical officer R Ruby arrived. After a discussion, the health workers decided to unload the machine themselves. They also placed it on the top floor of the hospital.

The trade union leaders said that a crane is required to carry the machine to the top floor and that they demanded Rs 16,000 including the rent of the crane. They also alleged that the hospital authorities did not tell them how much they can provide as wage for the labourers.

Meanwhile, medical officer R Ruby said that the COVID testing lab is set up at a cost of Rs 50 lakh and is the requirement of an entire place. The labourers should have considered this and taken a soft stand, the medical officer added.