Protesting nurses give ultimatum to govt

Tribune News Service
Patiala, February 13

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Despite an assurance by state Health and Family Welfare Minister to consider their demands, contractual nurses of the Government Rajindra Hospital have given an ultimatum through ‘Give our regularisation letter by February 15 or we will jump off the building’ notice.

The ultimatum comes after the Health Minister failed to give a written assurance claim nurses. The protesters met the Health and Family Welfare Minister in Chandigarh in this regard on Tuesday evening.  

The Punjab Contractual Nursing and Ancillary Staff president, Karamjit Kaur Aulakh said, “We will wait till February 15. If our demands are not met by that time the union will plan more bold steps and the government will be responsible for it.”

“We met the Health Minister, but he did not give any written assurance. Therefore, we have given an ultimatum to the government. However, he assured us that a file pertaining to our regularisation has been sent to the state Finance Department for approval,” she added.

The protesters said they only want written assurance from the government. However, protesting nurses ended their chain hunger strike on Tuesday morning by sipping juice given by police officials.

 Nurses of Government Rajindra Hospital, Government Medical College, Patiala, Government TB Hospital, Patiala, and Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, Amritsar, are demanding regularisation of their services. 

Earlier, five nurses had climbed atop medical superintendent’s office building on February 8

Meanwhile, medical facilities at the Government Rajindra Hospital remained partially hit on Wednesday too as contractual nurses and the ancillary staff continued their protest on the sixth day on the hospital premises. 

The Outpatient Department (OPD) and general operation theatre (OT) of the hospital remained closed on the second consecutive day. However, the emergency services were fully functional at the hospital. 

The Medical Superintendent, Government Rajindra Hospital, Rajan Singla said, “Once again, the protesters locked the OPD and the OT on Wednesday morning, but we are attending patients in the Emergency Department.”

 “The appointments have not been rescheduled as we don’t know when nurses will call off protest,” he added. 

“Patients have been asked to get treatment at the emergency ward,” he said.