Patients health becomes sad victim

Gandhi nursing staff continues strike

Health and medical services have been disrupted at Gandhi Hospital with the ongoing strike of 220 outsourcing nurses that reached its seventh day on Wednesday.

Worst affected are the in-patients admitted in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and pediatric units in the 1,863-bed Hospital having only about 188 permanent nurses, who work in three shifts, to attend to them. As per regulations, each ICU bed and every five beds in a general ward should have at least one nurse at any time.

According to a spokesperson at the hospital, there is an urgent need of 300 more nurses, in addition to the existing 408 nurses (including the outsourced nurses) working there. “To overcome the crisis, we deployed about 150 nursing students and staff from private nursing colleges besides the Gandhi Nursing School,” informed the spokesperson.

Dr JV Reddy, Superintendent of Gandhi Hospital said, “We are representing the issues to the Government and hope they will consider to resolve the issues amicably, keeping in view the patient care and daily life saving priorities.”

While members of the outsourcing nursing staff maintain that the existing pay of Rs 11,134 per month, after deductions, is insufficient, the General Secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress and President of Centre of India Trade Union T Venkatesh informed that the strike further intensify till their demands are met.