At a time when increasing cases of dengue and chikungunya are giving sleepless nights to the national Capital, around 20,000 nurses working in Delhi and Central Government hospitals went on an indefinite strike over issues relating to their salary and allowances, however, Delhi Government invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) on striking nurses.
The strike crippled the health care services at a time when city hospitals are flooded with thousands of patients suffering from severe viral fever. Meanwhile, the city is also battling with rising cases of dengue and chikungunya.
Talking to The Pioneer, Delhi Health Secretary Chandrakar Bharti said, “At first our main motive is to get the agitating nurses back on duty as Delhi is reeling with acute health care crisis. If the striking nurses would not resume their duties, they can be arrested too as per the law.”
Most of the routine operations were avoided, OPD timings were curtailed.
The worse-affected hospitals include Ram Manohar lohia Hospital, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, lok Nayak Hospital, Hindu Rao Hospital and Kasturba Hospital.
Around 1,200 nurses joined the strike at lok Nayak Hospital. Dr JC Passey, medical superintendent at lok Nayak Hospital, said, “This is very bad and inhumane. During this time when the city is facing vector disease outbreak, nurses should not have gone on strike.”
Till now, lok Nayak Hospital has reported 321 dengue and 40 chikungunya cases. “As chikungunya cases are tested positive after 5-6 days of fever, therefore, original number could be even more,” Dr Passey added.
To bridge the gap of agitating nurses, the hospital has hired 60 nursing students from Ahilyabai College of Nursing, informed the medical director of lok Nayak Hospital.
“Definitely, patient care is being hampered. Every day, about 1,000 fever patients are visiting casualty and hundreds of them are admitted at the fever clinic,” said Dr Mehta, additional medical superintendent at DDU Hospital.
While September is the peak time for vector-borne disease, doctors have warned that the coming days are going to be worst.
Safdarjung Hospital, with 1,100 nurses including 160 on contract, has reported three dengue deaths in July. It has reported 287 dengue cases and 344 chikungunya till Friday. “We have cancelled the leave of resident doctors to fill the gap of nurses. Extra beds have been placed at psychiatric, orthopedic, neurosurgery departments as per the need,” said Dr AK Rai, medical superintendent at Safdarjung Hospital.
On Thursday, All India Government Nurses Federation spokesperson liladhar Ramchandani said, “We are not happy with the response of the Government. So we will go ahead with our proposed strike. But, we will attend to emergency and critical cases.”