Flash strike by nurses, doctors adds to woes of Covid patients
Healthcare workers demonstrate to press their demands in VadodaraVadodara: Covid-19 patients had to face a tough time on Tuesday as nurses and in-service doctors in Vadodara joined the state-wide strike to protest against transfer of their state office-bearers.
At a time when Vadodara, like other regions of the state, was reeling under the impact of cyclone Tauktae, at least two dozen Covid-19 patients were shifted from referral hospitals and community health centres from rural areas like Dabhoi and Savli because of the flash strike.
From Dabhoi referral hospital and community health centre alone nearly 19 Covid-19 patients were shifted to Vadodara’s GMERS Medical College and Hospital, Gotri and isolation centres at Thuvavi and Darul Uloom as all the 11 nurses had joined the strike leaving nobody to attend the patients.
“In view of the strike, we have deputed doctors, nurses and nursing students from GMERS hospital to manage the situation at SSG Hospital,” said Dr Vinod Rao, officer on special duty for Covid-19 in Vadodara.
But this move did not ease problems faced by resident doctors and medical students who are already burdened with the flow of patients.
“Even inside ICU, we are finding it difficult to attend to all the patients. We were already short of manpower and now the entire burden has fallen on us. Who is to be blamed,” questioned a resident doctor.
The Gujarat In-Service Doctors Association which has nearly 200 members in Vadodara district admitted that patients are facing inconvenience because of their strike.
“We had begun ‘pen-down strike’ to press for our demands and seeking government’s intervention to resolve our problems. But we had not stopped our work as we never wanted to create trouble for patients,” said Vadodara chapter president Dr Uday Tilawat.
“By transferring four of our office-bearers instead of holding talks with us, the state government has forced us to go on flash strike,” said Tilawat, adding that the association will stick to its demands.
Earlier, the doctors had threatened to go on mass casual leave on May 24 and indefinite strike from May 31. The United Nurses Forum (UNF) and other nurses who staged a demonstration at SSG Hospital too blamed the state government. UNF said that while it had gone on token strike on Tuesday, it will go on indefinite strike from Wednesday onwards.
At a time when Vadodara, like other regions of the state, was reeling under the impact of cyclone Tauktae, at least two dozen Covid-19 patients were shifted from referral hospitals and community health centres from rural areas like Dabhoi and Savli because of the flash strike.
From Dabhoi referral hospital and community health centre alone nearly 19 Covid-19 patients were shifted to Vadodara’s GMERS Medical College and Hospital, Gotri and isolation centres at Thuvavi and Darul Uloom as all the 11 nurses had joined the strike leaving nobody to attend the patients.
The flash strike crippled the services at Covid wards and ICUs at state-run SSG Hospital where nearly 526 patients were undergoing treatment.
“In view of the strike, we have deputed doctors, nurses and nursing students from GMERS hospital to manage the situation at SSG Hospital,” said Dr Vinod Rao, officer on special duty for Covid-19 in Vadodara.
But this move did not ease problems faced by resident doctors and medical students who are already burdened with the flow of patients.
“Even inside ICU, we are finding it difficult to attend to all the patients. We were already short of manpower and now the entire burden has fallen on us. Who is to be blamed,” questioned a resident doctor.
The Gujarat In-Service Doctors Association which has nearly 200 members in Vadodara district admitted that patients are facing inconvenience because of their strike.
“We had begun ‘pen-down strike’ to press for our demands and seeking government’s intervention to resolve our problems. But we had not stopped our work as we never wanted to create trouble for patients,” said Vadodara chapter president Dr Uday Tilawat.
“By transferring four of our office-bearers instead of holding talks with us, the state government has forced us to go on flash strike,” said Tilawat, adding that the association will stick to its demands.
Earlier, the doctors had threatened to go on mass casual leave on May 24 and indefinite strike from May 31. The United Nurses Forum (UNF) and other nurses who staged a demonstration at SSG Hospital too blamed the state government. UNF said that while it had gone on token strike on Tuesday, it will go on indefinite strike from Wednesday onwards.
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