THRISSUR: The members of the United Nurses Association (UNA) on Monday organised a protest march to the Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS) demanding legal action against Kannur District Collector Mir Mohammed Ali who passed an order the other day to deploy nursing students in private hospitals for treating patients.
UNA president Jasminsha said the KUHS’ registrar should make the varsity’s stance clear and take legal action against the Collector for issuing the order. He said UNA will hold a huge strike if the order is not withdrawn.“The United Nurses Parents Association will also file a writ petition in the court against the order,” he said.
Ali had issued the order in the wake of the ongoing strike by nurses at private hospitals. He had said government hospitals were handling patients beyond their capacity and directed the nursing students be deployed in private hospitals for five days starting Monday to tend to patients.
Jasminsha said the association had decided to withhold its strike as the High Court mediation was scheduled on July 19.
“Under such circumstances, the Collector issued the controversial order, probably to help private hospital managements. We feel he may have received favours from the managements to issue the order. It should be properly investigated and necessary action should be taken against him,” he said. It was illegal to deploy students to work without the approval of the Kerala Nursing Council and the KUHS registrar, he said.
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