Mumbai: Over 15,000 nurses of state-run hospitals struck work Thursday to protest against the Maharashtra government’s decision to outsource the recruitment of nurses to a private agency.
As a result of the strike, planned surgeries were reduced by more than 50 per cent at the state-run JJ Hospital here, said its Dean.
Talking to PTI, general secretary of the Maharashtra State Nurses Association (MSNA) Sumitra Tote said the nurses will go on an indefinite strike from May 28 if their demand is not met, and will also strike work on Friday.
“If the recruitment is outsourced, nurses will be vulnerable to exploitation and receive lower remuneration. They will be forced to look for alternative sources of income. This will affect their work and have immediate impact on patients,” Tote said.
More than 15,000 nurses from state-run hospitals, including about 1,500 in Mumbai, went on strike, she said.
Talking about the impact of the strike, JJ Hospital’s Dean Dr Dipali Sapale said thirty emergency surgeries were conducted during the day, while on a normal day around 70-80 surgeries are conducted.
“We have student nurses, so we conducted a 12-hour shift of 183 (student) nurses each,” she added.
The MSNA, meanwhile, has also asked for payment of nursing and education allowances for its members.
The Centre and some states pay nursing allowance of Rs 7,200. The benefit should be extended to nurses in Maharashtra too, Tote said.