INDORE: Over 500 nurses serving in hospitals associated with MGM Medical College on Wednesday went on indefinite strike with 12-point demands.
Though Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital (MYH's) superintendent Dr PS Thakur, the state's biggest government-run health facility, denied receiving any complaint of strike hitting the medical services, kin of many patients admitted in different wards alleged huge inconvenience due to 'absence' of nurse.
The strike is stated to hit the routine health services in the hospitals associated with MGM Medical College including MYH, Mental Hospital, Cancer Hospital and Chacha Nehru Hospital while the patients admitted in gynecology ward and trauma centre complained to suffer the most due to the nurses striking the work.
To handle the medical services, Dr Thakur said to have deployed the para-medic staff from various nursing schools and colleges to attend to the patients while the management has also asked the nursing staff (regular) to deal with the emergency, if arises any, in the hospital.
However, many patients complained to face problems due to the nurses' strike. Patients admitted in gynecology department claimed that a doctor had come to see them in the morning and thereafter, there was nobody (nurses) available till evening to attend them over any medical assistance.
"We don't have any option but to go on strike as the government representatives gave us assurance to meet our demands, but it doesn't come on papers yet" the president of Nurses' Association Dharmendra Pathak said, adding that their 12-point demands include promoting nurses as Grade II, changing name to nursing officer, pension scheme, compassionate appointments, and others.
During the strike, the protesting nurses staged a protest at MYH's entrance and shouted slogans against the state government to accept their demands as till then, they denied returning to the work.
