The ongoing strike by the Government staff nurses has increased the plight of patients admitted in the Government hospitals of the Dehradun district. On Sunday, the agitating nurses decided to expand their strike to across the State.
In absence of the proper medical and health care facilities in the different wards of the Government hospitals, the admitted patients have started coming up to discharge themselves from the Government hospitals. With the agitation turning State-wide, the people admitted in Government hospitals will face a tougher time across Uttarakhand.
The agitating staff nurses said that they will call off their agitation only after they receive the Government orders from the department stating that their demands are fulfilled. Highly infuriated over the lethargic approach of the State Health Department for not fulfilling their year-long pending demands, the Uttarakhand Nurses Services Association (UNSA) office bearers have now intensified their agitation across the State.
The association office bearers cleared that the State Government has not taken any step to fulfill their year long pending demands despite memorandums submitted many times to top officials and public representatives.
Although State Health Department has deployed pharmacists and apprentice medical students to cater to the medical needs of admitted patients in the Government hospitals, the plight of patients has not reduced. The UNSA has decided to work for only shift duty from 8am to 2 pm as per the standards set by the Medical Council of India (MCI) which clearly highlighted that one staff nurse should cater the medical need of every five admitted patients in the hospital.
Pay anomaly, timely promotion, dress allowance, risk allowance, benefits of the sixth pay commission, curtailing the gap between sanctioned and vacant posts etc. are among the main pending demands of the association.
After expressing her resentment over the callous approach of the state health department for not redressing their year long pending demands, Anjana Bhaumick, State president UNSA said that memorandum highlighting their demands was submitted many times to top bureaucrats but no step was taken by them to fulfill their pending demands.
lakshmi Punetha, vice president, UNSA, Dalbir Mishra, Rameshwari Negi, Rekha Bisht, Raj Kumar, Ram Kumar and many more staff nurses are among those participating in the agitation against the State Government.