Four old age home employees sacked

Sleeping pills in food

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 24

The UT Social Welfare Department today terminated the services of four employees of the Sector 15 old age home. The four were found guilty of serving sleeping pills to the inmates in their food without their knowledge or any doctor’s prescription.

A four-member committee constituted by department director Tilak Raj to probe the complaint made by a staff member, in its report, observed that the resident manager had not supervised the working of three staff members, including a cook and two attendants, properly. The committee recommended strict action against them.

Tilak Raj confirmed that the report had been received and action had been taken as per the recommendation of the committee. He said a complaint of sexual harassment lodged by the nurse at the old age home had been referred to the sexual harassment committee.

The preliminary inquiry report of the committee submitted on December 13 noted that the cook had given a written statement admitting that when on December 6, a few inmates were out for some celebrations at Sector 30 old age home, he was asked by the resident warden to mix four sleeping pills in the flour while cooking food for one of the inmates who used to get violent and did not take medicine prescribed to her. He stated that he had served three chapatis to the inmate.

Other inmates, too, said the elderly woman was given sleeping pills in food.