Nurses end dharna, threaten fast unto death

Ranchi: Auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs) and general nurse midwives (GNMs) on Wednesday threatened to begin a fast unto death from Friday seeking permanent appointments in government hospitals. There are about 5,500 such nurses in the state.
The nurses announced their decision to begin a hunger strike at the end of their three-day dharna outside Raj Bhavan. More than 1,500 nurses had taken part in the protest. The agitating nurses were stopped by police near Raj Bhavan while they were marching towards chief minister Raghubar Das’s residence.
“On December 6 last, the state government said the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission will begin the recruitment process soon. However, until now, there has been no such recruitment,” Meera Kumari, president of Jharkhand Rajya NRHM Anubhandh Karmachari Sangh, said. “Many ANMs and GNMs have been working on contract for over a decade,” she added.
On Wednesday, Mahua Manjhi, president of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s (JMM) women’s wing, met the agitators and promised to get an appointment for them with the chief minister.
At the moment, more than 4,650 posts of nurses are lying vacant in the state, the nurses said.