BENGALURU: Staff nurses at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (Nimhans) staged a protest in front of the registrar’s office on Tuesday morning and refused to budge till the management assured that issues they had raised will be addressed. Among their primary demands are that the number of sanctioned posts be increased, they be given promotions on time and the number of contractual employees be minimised.
The protest began after the management decided to inaugurate a new operation theatre that has been constructed at a cost of `60 crores without providing additional staff.
On Monday, a group of nurses had protested by not attending to elective cases at the operation theatre. As they refused to perform the pre-operative procedures and help doctors, several scheduled cases of surgery had to be postponed. An explanation was sought from these nurses on the reason for their absence. By Tuesday noon, Nimhans authorities had to withdraw the memo issued to the nurses, and following assurance that their issues will be addressed, the protest was withdrawn.
Speaking to Express, Nimhans director Dr B N Gangadhar said that the issue has been persisting for a while now. “It is true that more hands are needed. We are seeking an additional 300 posts to be sanctioned for the new OT to be operational,” he said.
However, condemning the move by the nurses to go on a protest suspending services, he added, “It is for the first time in the history of the Institute that such a thing has happened. It is unacceptable to treat hapless patients that way. The process of getting their issues addressed is on.”