Cuttack, March 22: Class IV employees at SCB Medical College and Hospital called off their flash strike late in the evening but not before inconveniencing a large number of patients.

Earlier in the day, at least seven minor surgeries had to be cancelled while a few others were delayed.

“The surgery to remove my pancreatic stone was scheduled for today, but it was cancelled at the last minute,” said Ajay Behera, a patient from Banki.

Behera said the doctors were available but they could not carry out the procedure because Class IV employees were on strike.

The 1,707-bed hospital has 750 Class IV employees. The agitating staff have stopped going to work demanding, among other issues, payment of salary on the second of every month and streamlining the casual leave policy.

“We had given a 12-point charter of demands to the authorities, but nothing has been done. We will continue the agitation until our demands are met,” said Sashibhusan Das, vice-president of the Class IV Employees’ Association.

Their other demands include filling up of nearly 500 vacancies, regularisation of jobs and salary revision.

Class IV employees shoulder a lot of responsibilities at the hospital including changing oxygen cylinders, assisting doctors during operations, supplying medicine stocks to various wards and carrying patients on stretchers.

SCB superintendent Shayama Kanungo termed the protest “illegal” and said: “The employees had not given any prior notice regarding the cease work though they had submitted a memorandum, which is being considered.”