Trouble in NIMHANS as nurses go on strike

Trouble in NIMHANS as nurses go on strike

PLANS to start a new Operation Theatre has brewed trouble at NIMHANS as a group of nurses went on a strike opposing it on Monday.

BENGALURU: PLANS to start a new Operation Theatre has brewed trouble at NIMHANS as a group of nurses went on a strike opposing it on Monday. A group of nurses protested on Monday refusing to attend to a few elective cases at National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) over staff shortage issues. At least 18 staff nurses, who were on duty at the elective operation theatre, protested by refusing to take cases that were elective procedures.

Emergency services remained unaffected. As the nurses refused to conduct pre-operative procedures on patients, at least five scheduled surgeries had to be postponed. The protesters alleged that despite repeated requests to the authorities, their issues have not been resolved. According to one of the nurses, of the 1,278 sanctioned posts, 848 are lying vacant even as additional services are being added at the hospital. “We did not take a call without prior requests. Several memorandums have been issued to the administration. There has been little assurance. We also held a protest by wearing black badges in October. There was no response to that either,” a nurse said. She added, “We are unable to take care of individual cases. Psychiatric cases need to be monitored.

That is not happening at present. While in common wards, the ratio between nurse and patient should ideally be 1:4, it is 1:20 now. In the ICU, it is 1:4.” Protesters said the issue has been persistent over the last two years and the management has been briefed about the same. They also said that the situation has grown worse as the interns, who were lending a helping hand, are also unavailable for service now. NIMHANS Director Dr Gangadhara was unavailable for comment.

NEW OPERATION THEATRE

The protesters said that a new operation theatre, which is all set to be functional soon, will make the existing situation worse. “We will be unable to deliver at the new OT with such less number of people. What is the point in adding infrastructure when there is no staff?” asked a protester.

WALKOUT ON TUESDAY

The group of staff nurses who staged a protest on Monday were given a memo from the registrar’s office seeking explanation for their action. The nurses will stage a walk out and suspend services at wards on Tuesday. They, however, assured that emergency services will not be affected.

OTHER DEMANDS
Giving promotions on time
Creating additional posts
More permanent staff

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