Nurses on strike at Delhi hospital for better pay

NEW DELHI: Around 300 nurses of a private hospital in Delhi are on a strike for the second day demanding minimum wages as per the Supreme Court recommendations. The nurses at the Batra Hospital and Medical Research Centre in south Delhi have alleged that they had been forced to work for extra hours and were not being paid accordingly.

Their other demands include maintenance of the nurse-patient ratio as per the norms of the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH), annual increments, implementation of the maternity leave policy and insurance coverage, said a member of the nurses' union.

The nurses have submitted their list of demands to the management, besides putting forth their complaints to Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain and the Nursing Council of India.

"There is paucity of staff and the management makes the nurses work overtime and does not even pay for that," said Joldin, general secretary, United Nurses Association-Delhi.

According to the nurses, the management was not listening to their demands, forcing them to go on a strike.

Commenting on the issue, the hospital's medical director, Vipul Sood, said: "The staff at all hospitals are overworked this time because of the ongoing dengue and chikungunya season. And, at such a time, the patient's safety is the primary concern and people have to work extra. Financial incentives and compensatory offs are being given for extra duty hours."

He added that a section of the nurses have gone on a strike, while some were still working. The medical director said the ICUs and the operation theatres were functioning and extra staff had been deployed for the smooth functioning.