THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The nurses at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College came out as one against the move to transfer the head nurse for allegedly serving Onam feast in the operation theatre. They pointed out that this is a unilateral decision taken against only the nursing staff while sparing others.
The nurses under banner of Kerala Government Nurses Association(KGNA) staged a protest at the Medical college. Pointing out that the decision to transfer the head nurse at the theatre was biased, KGNA district secretary Hameed S S said, “The association demands that the transfer be revoked. We will further intensify the agitation if the demand is not met.”
He said that head of the Anaesthesia Department, who is the in charge of the theatre, was only issued a show cause notice. “If any wrong has happened, then we are not averse to initiating action against the culprit. However, action should not be taken against only one person,” he said.
Claiming that no Onam feast was held at the operation theatre, Hameed said that the feast was arranged at the cafeteria area where doctors and other staff usually have lunch. “It was not in the sterile area where the feast was conducted as reported,” he said. The actual sterile area is far away from the place where the feast was held, he added. Moreover, he also said that the feast was conducted only after all the operations was completed.
Apart from the nurses’ association, Kerala Government Medical College Teachers’ Association also participated in the protest. Soon after the government took action against the two with regard to the Onam feast, the doctors too had come out against the decision. The head nurse was suspended and the head of the Anaesthesia Department was issued a show cause notice after Health Secretary K Elangovan, who probed the issue, submitted a report to the government.