CUTTACK: Patient care services were affected at SCB Medical College and Hospital here as around 1,100 nurses went on an indefinite strike from Wednesday over 10-point charter of demands of the Odisha Nursing Employees’ Association (ONEA).
Barring emergency services including casualty, intensive care unit (ICU), labour room and operation theatres (OTs), the nurses stopped providing services in various wards of different departments.
President of ONEA, Cuttack branch Jharna Jena said, “The state government had taken one-month time to resolve our issues. But as the government neither found a way nor convened a meeting to solve our problems, we have launched the indefinite strike for the fulfilment of our 10-point-charter of demands.”
The demands include promotion after taking into account six years of contractual service period of nurses appointed before November 2013, fixation of cadre on the basis of seniority, change in dress code, stopping contractual appointment through outsourcing agency and bringing nurses from community health officer (CHO) posts of Ayushman Arogya centres back to government hospitals among others, Jena added.
SCB registrar (administration) Abinash Rout, however, claimed patient care was not affected due to the strike by nurses.
“A day back, the nursing association had submitted a memorandum to go on strike from Wednesday. To ensure delivery of care, we engaged around 500 students pursuing BSc Nursing course to look after patients in different wards,” he said. But with less nursing students to provide care, patients experienced delay in receiving treatment.
“We are not able to receive the level of care we need as the nursing students lack adequate skills and experience,” said some patients undergoing treatment in different clinical departments.