Photos: AIIMS-Bathinda nurses say 4 living in one room, go on hunger strike

Karam Prakash

Tribune News Service

Patiala, May 19

Alleging poor quality food and accommodation, around 50 nursing staff of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bathinda, have been protesting since Tuesday night against the Punjab Government in Patiala.

The nursing staff deployed at the Isolation wing of Government Rajindra Hospital have been put up at the boys hostel of the state physical education college in the city.

The nursing staff have gone on hunger strike against the alleged ill-treatment by the state government. The protesting male nurses said that the authorities, in disregard of Covid-appropriate behaviour, asked four of them to huddle in a single room.

The Tribune visited the accommodation site and found that conditions at the hostel were not good. There was no water supply in some of the washrooms and rooms were dingy. Clogged toilet and broken bath fittings were seen in most of the bathrooms.

Mukesh Saini, a nurse, said, “Despite being on the forefront of this pandemic, the state government, by giving such accommodation, is degrading our profession and insulting us.”

Vivek, another protesting nurse, said, “Please, don’t insult frontline workers like this. We are demanding only good food and worth-living accommodation.” The protesting nurses said that they had mailed a complaint to the district administration, but to no avail.

Dr Rajan Singla, Principal, Government Medical College, however, refuted the charge of the protesting nurses. “I along with the Medical Superintendent visited the accommodation and eve ate food at the canteen. The accommodation as well as the food are very good.”

It has been learnt that some male nurses have already left the accommodation owing to the “poor facilities”.

Dr Vitull K Gupta, health and human rights activist, has demanded immediate arrangement of proper accommodation for the staff and action against the officials responsible for this poor arrangement.

Meanwhile, the district administration has called the protest “poor theatrics”. "Patiala Administration denounces the cheap theatrics of the protesting male staff nurses to shun Covid duty. The ground reality is not what shown by them. We have arranged a good accommodation and food for them," the administration tweeted.

"These nurses are totally acting in an irresponsible behaviour that is totally unbecoming of a nurse," it added.

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