Ludhiana | Nurses take out protest march on 3rd day of strike

On the call of the Punjab Nurses Association, around 200 staff nurses have been striking to seek pay parity, and payment of certain allowances among other assorted demands

Continuing their strike for the third consecutive day against the recommendations of the sixth pay commission, staff nurses deputed at civil and government hospitals took out a protest march from the Civil Hospital to Jagraon Bridge on Saturday.

The department is now dependent on the contractual nursing staff and final year nursing students who have been called from Mohan Dai Oswal hospital due to the emergency. But they cannot perform c-section delivery for which trained staff is required. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

On the call of the Punjab Nurses Association, around 200 staff nurses have been striking to seek pay parity, and payment of certain allowances among other assorted demands. During the protest march, movement of traffic was also interrupted in the Field Ganj area and the Jagraon Bridge.

In the absence of nurses, the working of the civil hospital, especially the mother and child hospital, was severely hampered. The emergency caesarean (c-section) cases had to be referred to Christian Medical College & Hospital, Ludhiana, as hospitals in other districts including Rajindra Hospital,Patiala, were unable to provide services in absence of nurses.

The department is now dependent on the contractual nursing staff and final year nursing students who have been called from Mohan Dai Oswal hospital due to the emergency. But they cannot perform c-section delivery for which trained staff is required.

Senior medical officer (SMO), mother and child hospital, RS Chahal said footfall in the hospital had decreased as the public is aware of the strike. Punjab Nurses’ Association district president Asha said,” Rather than increase the pay grade of nurses, our pay has been reduced under the sixth pay commission. Our strike will continue till our demands are fulfilled by the government.”