All 352 nurses of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences have gone on indefinite strike from Sunday midnight after their demands were not fulfilled by the State Government. RIMS Administration, however, assured that alternate arrangement has already been done to deal with the strike and they have been making efforts that services does not get affected by it.
“As none of our demands regarding the facilities to nursing staff in RIMS were fulfilled by the State Government, we have decided to go on strike for indefinite period from 12 midnight on Sunday,” said president of RIMS Nursing Association Ram Rekha Rai. The emergency services at RIMS, however, will not get affected and services at emergency ward, SMCU and Neo-natal ward will be continued as usual, she said.
“None of the demands raised by us a month ago in written were not fulfilled while demands of doctors given an hour before the Governing Council meeting headed by Health Minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi was fulfilled, alleged Rai. They have only been giving assurance to us since long but none of our demands were fulfilled, she added.
Earlier on Sunday, the nurses made a protest on Saturday with placards and shouted slogan against RIMS administration to press demands. “Our primary demands aare salary on the lines of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, raising their age of retirement as doctors to 65, jobs on compensatory grounds, medical and other facilities to the nurses as given to permanent staffs,” said the president of the Nursing Association. Recruitment of nurses through outsourcing should also be stopped, she added.
Meanwhile, pulling up its socks, RIMS administration has started making alternate arrangement and nurses have been called from outside the hospital from outside so that the services does not get affected by the strike.
“Equal number of nurses have been called from Sadar Hospital, some of the students of BSC Nursing have also been asked to serve as an alternative so that the services does not get affected in RIMS,” said RIMS Superintendent SK Chaudhary.
The Nursing Association, on the other hand, said that nurses from Sadar hospital will not be allowed to enter RIMS. “150 nurses will be brought from Sadar Hospital to look after 1447 patients in different wards, who will simply not be allowed to enter the premises,” said Rai.
Meanwhile, magistrates have been deputed along with police force by the district administration to maintain law and order at RIMS.