Infuriated over the lethargic approach of the State Government for not fulfilling their year-long pending demands, staff nurses from the Doon Group of Hospitals abstained from work after completion of morning shift duty at 2 pm on Monday.
They have also threatened to intensify their agitation if their demands were not fulfilled by the State Government in the given time frame. Meanwhile, Doon Group of Hospitals administration claimed to deploy trainee para-medical staff and pharmacists for redressing grievances of the admitted hospitals in the Government establishments.
Highly agitated over the callous approach of the State Health Department for not redressing the year-long pending demands of the association even after submitting memorandum several times to public representatives and top bureaucrats, staff nurses under the banner of Uttarakhand Nurses' Services Association (UNSA) abstained from work under work to rule as their demands are still pending.
later, after meeting State Health Minister Surendra Singh Negi who assured that their demands would be fulfilled at the earliest, the association members decided to call off their agitation. The agitated staff nurses in the Doon Group of Hospitals resumed at night shift at 8 pm.
Meanwhile, all those admitted patients admitted in the Doon Group of Hospitals, which include Doon Hospital (Male), Doon Hospital (Female) and Pt Deen Dayal Upadhayay (Coronation), were among the worst sufferers in trauma ward, orthopedic ward, peaditric ward and general ward (male and female) of the hospital.
The agitated nurses shouted anti-department slogans during the agitation and the association office bearers lamented that the State Government has not taken any step to fulfill their year long pending demands even though memorandum was submitted many times to top officials.
The agitation staff nurses worked one shift duty as per the norms of MCI (Medical Council of India) which clearly highlighted that one staff nurse should cater the medical need of every five admitted patients in the hospital.
Timely promotion, dress allowance, pay anomaly, risk allowance, six pay commission, appointment of the registrar etc. are the few main pending demands of the association.
Staff nurses had earlier also boycotted services in support of their pending demands and withdrew their agitation only after receiving assurance from the Government that their demands would be fulfilled in the coming days.
After expressing her concern over the callous approach of the State health department for not redressing the year-long pending demands of the association, Anjana Bhaumick, State President, said a memorandum was submitted many times to top bureaucrats, but no step was taken by them to fulfill their pending demands.
She lamented that the prompt action is still awaited from the State Government despite the fact the association members have been staging protest for years.
She said that the association members will intensify their agitation from Saturday onwards. The association members said that they would again resume their agitation if their demands are not met by September 12.