NEW DELHI: The nurses union of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has extended “unconditional” support to the government nurses in Delhi who will protest next week to press their long-pending demands. The AIIMS nurses will join the strike, the union said.
“It is unfortunate to note that many of the genuine demands of the nurses working under the Delhi government are not given due consideration and no efforts were made to consider the same,” the nurses union of the centre-run hospital said.
As many as 8,000 nurses working at hospitals run by the AAP government have been demanding the city government to regularise the contractual medicos on the vacant posts and create new vacancies to meet with the growing demand of healthcare.
The Delhi Nurses Federation (DNF), government recognised umbrella organisation of nurses working in state-run hospitals have threatened the government for a non-cooperation movement starting October 18.
“We will protest on 18 October from Samta Sthala to Delhi Secretariat followed by a two-hour non-cooperation movement in all hospitals on November 2 and 4,” it said.
“If the issues aren’t resolved in time, the nurses will be forced to go on an indefinite strike without any further notice,” it added. Liladhar Ramchandani, general secretary, DNF, said that promotions of the eligible nurses are pending since 11 years.
“Senior nursing officers are retiring every year all over Delhi and almost 1,000 promotional posts of nursing cadre are lying pending at present. Many nursing officers who joined the service more than 25 years ago, are eligible to get at least three promotions but due to poor administration they have not got any yet,” he said.
“Thousands of nurses are working on a contractual basis for more than 15 years. The government promised to regularise these employees but nothing happened so far,” he added.
Ramchandani also said no new post has been created for the last 10 years. “The government is increasing new beds and opening new hospitals but new post of nurses has not been created to cater the additional burden,” he said.