Resume duty in 24 hours or face action, government tells nurses

BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Saturday gave a day's time to agitating nurses to resume duty. It threatened to take action against them if they failed to join work within this time.The state director of the National Health Mission (NHM), Shalini Pandit, said: "We have showcaused contractual nurses who are yet to join duty. We will terminate their service if they fail to join work within 24 hours."
Around 2,000 staff nurses working under the NHM went on a statewide strike on December 18 to press for the regularization of their jobs and a hike in grade pay. They called off the strike on Thursday after health minister Pratap Jena said their grievances would be addressed. Most of the nurses resumed duty but some have not. Several nurses were seen sitting on a dharna at Lower PMG on Saturday.

Pratima Samantray, president of Odisha Nursing Employees' Association, urged the protesting nurses to call off their stir. In Cuttack, students of nursing at SCB Medical College and Hospital were asked to assist doctors at Sishu Bhawan, but the agitating NHM nurses did not allow them to meet the hospital superintendent. Healthcare facilities in several government hospitals were affected.

The protesting workers, most of who are deployed in Intensive Care Units and Sick and Newborn Care Units, alleged that the state government had not paid attention to their problems. NHM staff nurses get a remuneration of Rs 10,700 a month while regular government staff nurses get between Rs 30,000 and Rs 50,000, including DA, HRA and uniform allowances.