Indore: Nurses Divided, One Group On Strike, Another Attends Duty

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Amid the ongoing strike of nursing officers, the nurses of hospitals associated with MGM Medical College got divided over the strike as one group of nursing officers kept themselves away from the ongoing agitation and attended work. According to the state spokesperson of Nurses Association 11720 Dharmendra Pathak, “Nursing officers of our association are not participating in the strike and we are performing our regular duties. We kept away from strike as we are waiting for the court’s order, due on Thursday and will decide further course of action after the judgment.’

He added that over half of the nursing officers are associated with our association and only a few are associated with the Nursing Officers’ Association, which is on strike. The president of Nursing Officers’ Association Ramesh Jat said that they are agitating for the welfare of all the nurses and everyone should join us. He claimed of getting support from all the nurses.

Meanwhile, health services in hospitals associated with MGM Medical College and the Health Department remained affected on Wednesday, i.e. the third day of the strike. 

The services were hit mainly at Government PC Sethi Hospital and District Hospital from where doctors referred critical patients to MTH Hospital. Meanwhile, the doctors of MTH Hospital also focused on critical and emergency services while postponing routine services.

Total 30 routine surgeries were performed in MY Hospital on Wednesday which is less than the usual number of surgeries performed in the hospital in a day.

According to sources, about 30-40 surgeries take place only in MY Hospital every day but the number has decreased as the trained nurses are on strike and hospital administration had to get the routine work done by the students of nursing colleges and nurses of private hospitals.

The agitating nursing officers said that they don’t have any option but to go on strike as the government representatives gave us assurance to meet our demands, but nothing concrete has materialised yet.  

“Our demands include regularisation of contractual employees, implementation of old pension scheme, increment in grade pay of nursing officers, benefits of the Seventh Pay Commission to the employees of the Medical Education Department, night allowance to paramedical staff among others,” the agitating nurses said. The protesting nursing officers staged a protest at MY Hospital’s entrance and shouted slogans against the state government to accept their demands saying that they would not return to work till their demands are met.