Maharashtra: Striking nurses refuse to back down

The nurses agitating at Azad Maidan. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

The nurses' strike continued for the fifth day on Monday. With the result, routine health services have been getting affected badly. Since the strike began, elective surgeries have had to be cancelled in many of the government-run hospitals. As per sources on Monday, talks between the chief secretary, the Department of Medical Education and Drugs and nurses association was inconclusive.

The chief secretary has asked nurses to call off their strike and have a meeting to resolve the problem. The nurses, in response, have asked for a written assurance that their demands will be fulfilled. The Maharashtra State Nursing Association which has over 10,000 members is on strike since May 26. The nurses are against the state government's move to outsource nursing posts lying vacant in government medical colleges and hospitals for the past several years.

Nurses association head Sumitra Tote said, "For the first time in 40 years, nurses are agitating for their demands. We had planned to agitate thrice before, but postponed it after assurances from the government. We, too, are worried about the patients, but the government is not worried about us."