Chandigarh, Jan. 23 -- Around 3,500 contractual workers at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) continue to work in hazardous conditions without access to medical benefits. These contract workers are those working as hospital attendants, security guards, bearers and sanitation workers. Despite being stationed in high-risk areas such as washing plants, isolation wards, and operation theatres, where they are exposed to infectious diseases and gruelling shifts, these workers are denied the free medical treatment provided to regular staff. The severity of the situation was highlighted less than a month ago following the death of 49-year-old security guard Harjasvinder Singh. After serving the institute for 20 years, Singh suffered a stroke during duty hours and passed away after three weeks of treatment. His family was forced to bear medical expenses totaling Rs.80,000-Rs.90,000, costs that should have been covered under Rule 25 (2) (v) (a) of the Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Central Rules, 1971. This rule is particularly relevant as PGIMER was granted exemptions from abolishing contractual employment in sanitation, security, and catering services on the condition that it provides wages and facilities equal to those of the lowest-paid regular workers performing similar duties. While all regular PGIMER staff receive free treatment, the situation for contractual workers, including hospital attendants, sanitation staff, security guards, and bearers, has worsened over the last three-four years. Because their salaries now exceed the Rs.21,000 threshold, they are no longer eligible for coverage under Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) hospitals. Nirmal Kaur, Singh's widow, broke down in tears, saying that the family is facing a severe economic crisis with no active breadwinner and is still waiting for her husband's partial wages from December 2025. Testimonies from the front lines illustrate the daily risks. Babli, a contractual hospital attendant in the cancer ward of the advanced paediatric centre, recounted, "We dispose of medical waste, including used syringes and cotton. Sometimes while cleaning, workers accidentally prick themselves with used syringes. There is no medical facility available in such instances. I had been pricked by a syringe used on a HIV+ patient while cleaning and immediately got tested. It happens many times that we don't even know which syringe has been used on which patient." Sukhpal, a contractual hospital attendant deputed in the orthopaedics department operation theatre on the night shift, has been working at PGI for over two decades. He said, "While doctors do the surgery, we ensure cleanliness to prevent patient infections and carry operation-related materials weighing 30-40 kg to the designated place. If we meet with any accident during duty, we have no one to rely on. We have to take care of ourselves and visit a clinic at the cost of losing one day's wage." Another contractual worker at the washing plant said, "We are exposed to various infections, as all our laundry consists of dirty, blood-stained bedsheets, blankets, and gowns. We have even found flesh or needles in the bed sheets. There is no protective gear or changing room provided. If anyone contracts an infection at work, it goes unnoticed because there is no proof. We want PGI to provide medical facilities for us and our families so that we do not die without treatment." The Union ministry of labour and employment has extended PGIMER's exemptions in 2018, 2021, 2023, and most recently in July 2025, always under the proviso of parity in working conditions. However, the institute's failure to provide medical benefits has left workers vulnerable now that they are excluded from the ESIC system. In response, contractual workers under the joint action committee have been observing a 24-hour chain hunger strike since November 2025, demanding medical benefits for themselves and their families at PGIMER. Despite numerous attempts to contact PGIMER officials for comment, we received no response on this matter....