Over a 60 staffers, together with ward boys and nursing attendants of SPS Hospital right here went on strike on Sunday to protest in opposition to lengthy working hours and non-payment of incentives for Covid responsibility and raised slogans in opposition to the hospital authorities.
Whilst sufferers had been inconvenienced, hospital authorities mentioned they had been following authorities orders and had knowledgeable the district authorities in regards to the matter.
The workers accused the human useful resource (HR) division of the hospital for violating labour rights and alleged that they’re being made to work for over 12 hours carrying Private Safety Tools (PPE) kits throughout which they may not use the bathroom or drink water.
They mentioned guarantees to pay every nurse Rs200 further for Covid-19 responsibility had not been honoured. Not simply that, “Our carry dwelling wage, which is a mere Rs 13,000 after deduction, is getting delayed,” mentioned Jaipreet, one of many protesting nurses.
A majority of nurses had been working in double shifts. At instances simply two nurses had been dealing with practically 15 sufferers, a lot of them on ventilators. Many nurses have examined constructive whereas treating the sufferers, claimed Jaipreet.
The change of responsibility roster proved to be the newest set off as nurses had been requested to carry out two morning, two night and two evening duties in every week.
When the nurses didn’t need the adjustments included they had been “ made to go from one division to a different. After nobody listened to our demand we had been left with no possibility however stage a protest,” mentioned two different nurses Gurpreet and Harpreet Kaur.
‘No talks with authorities’
When requested to remark, medical superintendent Dr Rajiv Kundra mentioned that as a substitute of speaking to the authorities and attempting to resolve the difficulty, the nursing employees went on strike.
“Nobody approached us and tried to resolve the difficulty,” he added, saying the roster had been modified following authorities instructions.
“The authorities have directed us to accommodate extra Covid sufferers. So we made adjustments within the roster and used the employees deployed on non- productive duties for the therapy of Covid sufferers. As nurses have gone on strike in opposition to the brand new association, we have now knowledgeable the officers of the district administration to look into the matter,” mentioned Dr Kundra.
Civil surgeon Dr Rajesh Bagga mentioned as staging a protest violated the Epidemic Act, “I urge the employees and hospital authorities to resolve the matter amicably.”
Quite a lot of sufferers, in the meantime, had been inconvenienced as a result of strike.
Kulwinder Kaur mentioned her father-in-law who suffered from renal issues couldn’t get his common dialysis on the hospital. “ My father- in- regulation was not feeling effectively at this time so we rushed him to the hospital, however the hospital authorities refused to confess him and requested us to take him to a different hospital. Even the physician will not be answering our name. In such a state of affairs the place lets go?” she requested.