Srinagar: Medical college suspends 7 nurses after protest over new duty roster

SKIMS suspended the nurses for instigating others; nurses claim the new three-tier duty roster, introduced from October 1, doesn’t suit most of them

Seven nurses, four of them females, have been suspended by Kashmir’s premier health institute, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), after they protested against the newly introduced three-tier duty roster.

The suspension order stated that pending inquiry, the staff nurses shall remain attached with the office of medical superintendent, SKIMS, till culmination of disciplinary proceedings. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Terming their suspension as ‘intimidation,’ the nurses accused the SKIMS administration of punishing them for raising their voice even as the hospital said the protesters were ‘instigating’ others.

SKIMS suspended four nurses on October 3 after a token protest on the institute’s premises and then another three on October 5 when the protest spilled onto the streets.