Nurses’ strike paralyses health services in Ludhiana

The working of the Mother And Child Hospital at the Ludhiana civil hospital was the worst affected as cases requiring an emergency Caesarian section had to be referred to other government hospitals, primarily Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, which were also reeling due to a shortage of nurses

Health services across the district remained paralysed for the second consecutive day on Friday as around 200 nurses participated in the statewide indefinite strike against the recommendations of the sixth pay commission.

Now, the health department is dependent on contractual nursing staff and final-year nursing students who have been deputed from Mohan Dai Oswal Hospital due to the emergency; meanwhile, the nursing staff said that the strike will continue until their demands, which include pay parity, and payment of allowances, are fulfilled. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

The working of the Mother And Child Hospital was the worst affected as cases requiring an emergency Caesarian section had to be referred to other government hospitals, primarily Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, which were also reeling due to a shortage of nurses. Patients and their family members had to run pillar to post to get admitted to a hospital.

Now, the department is dependent on contractual nursing staff and final-year nursing students who have been deputed from Mohan Dai Oswal Hospital due to the emergency.

Senior medical officer RS Chahal said, “We were able to manage normal deliveries with the help of contractual staff and nursing students, but Caesarian deliveries cannot be carried out without trained staff.”

“We had referred two C-Section deliveries to Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, on Thursday, but they sent the patients back, saying they did not have nursing staff. The government is trying to resolve the issue,” said Chahal.

Meanwhile, the nursing staff said that the strike will continue until their demands, which include pay parity, and payment of allowances, are fulfilled.

Punjab Nurses Association ( Ludhiana unit) general secretary Ravinder Kaur said, “Rather than increasing the pay grade of nurses, our pay has been reduced under the sixth pay commission, and allowances due to us are being withheld. Our representatives met the deputy chief minister, OP Soni, but nothing came of it.”