Mumbai: Hundreds of nurses of government-run hospitals in Mumbai and other places in Maharashtra went on a one-day strike on Tuesday demanding better working conditions and salaries in accordance with central government standards.
"This is the first time in 35 years we have gone on strike. Our demands have been pending before the government for years, but nothing has been done to alleviate our grievances," said Kamal Vaykole, general secretary of the Maharashtra Nursing Federation.
"Even though we don't want patients to suffer because of the strike, we had no option but to take recourse to this step," she said.
Emergency surgeries
Except for emergency operations, most of the medical services have been affected, she said.
Their demands include maintenance of adequate stock of medicines and equipment in hospitals, especially in rural hospitals, where patients are forced to procure medicines from private pharmacies. "We have been asking the government to fill the vacant posts of nurses and other workers," she said.
Nurses are also unhappy that the state government is sitting on their demand for a change in the dress code — from white to coloured and from dress to salwar kameez. "Since this issue is already before the Bombay High Court, we have not included this matter among our demands," she said.
"This is the first time in 35 years we have gone on strike. Our demands have been pending before the government for years, but nothing has been done to alleviate our grievances," said Kamal Vaykole, general secretary of the Maharashtra Nursing Federation.
"Even though we don't want patients to suffer because of the strike, we had no option but to take recourse to this step," she said.
Emergency surgeries
Except for emergency operations, most of the medical services have been affected, she said.
Their demands include maintenance of adequate stock of medicines and equipment in hospitals, especially in rural hospitals, where patients are forced to procure medicines from private pharmacies. "We have been asking the government to fill the vacant posts of nurses and other workers," she said.
Nurses are also unhappy that the state government is sitting on their demand for a change in the dress code — from white to coloured and from dress to salwar kameez. "Since this issue is already before the Bombay High Court, we have not included this matter among our demands," she said.
