Patients of the government hospitals of state bore the brunt of one day strike call given by the association of nurses. On Friday all the government nurses of the Uttarakhand were on a one day leave on the nationwide call given by the ‘All India Government Nurses Federation’. The strike affected the health services in all parts of the State.
The nurses are demanding that their grade pay should be increased from existing Rs 4800 to Rs 5400 in the Sixth pay commission. The federation of nurses is also demanding that government should revise the recommendations which are made in the seventh pay commission for nursing services.
On Friday a massive demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi was organised by the federation in which thousands of nurses from all parts of the country participated. The state President of Uttarakhand Nurses association, Anjana Bhowmick, who led the group of nurses from the state which visited National capital, said that the show of strength by the nurses on the day was massive. She said that the demands of the nurses are genuine and the agitation would continue till the disparity in salary is removed.
Meanwhile the state government deployed trainee nurses in the district hospitals to minimize the impact of mass causal leave agitation of nurses. The Medical Superintendent (MS) of associated hospital of Doon Medical College, Dr K K Tamta said that 60 nurses which included the nursing students and trainees were pressed into the services in the hospital in wake of mass casual leave of nurses on Friday.