Private hospital associations have decided to implement the government-prescribed wages for nurses as decided at the last meeting of the Industrial Review Committee.
Talking to The Hindu, Dr. Harish Pillai, President, Association of Healthcare Providers in India, Kerala chapter, said all the associations were against a steep hike in salaries of nursing and other staff, but had decided to accept the same in the wake of the nurses’ agitation. “ We are looking positively towards the IRC meeting called on Wednesday, he said. The wages declared were inclusive of General Nursing category and entry level of nurses.
Private hospitals have also decided to have a long-term plan to deal with situations that would prevent such a crisis in the future. Dr. Pillai said: “We are looking to have a permanent mechanism to evolve a formula on wages. “This is the second strike in five years,” he added.
Representatives of Kerala Private Hospital Associations, Catholic Hospital Association of India, Qualified Private Medical Practitioners Association and the Hospital Board of the State branch of Indian Medical Association attended the meeting.