Contractual nurses want jobs regularised

Tribune News Service

Patiala, February 5

Seeking regularisation of services, hundreds of nurses of Government Rajindra Hospital, Government Medical College, Patiala, Government TB Hospital, Patiala, and Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, Amritsar, under the banner of Punjab Contractual Nursing and Ancillary Staff Association, protested against Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh here today.

The nurses carried out a protest march from the Government Medical College to the YPS roundabout. The protesters had planned to hold a protest outside the CM’s residence, but they were stopped by the police force. The protesters later staged a sit-in dharna there only.

President of the Punjab Contractual Nursing and Ancillary Staff Karamjeet Kaur Aulakh said: “We were hired in 2009 on a contractual basis through a proper channel. However, we have not been regularised to date.”

On January 25, a delegation of nurses had met Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh in Patiala and submitted a memorandum. Following this, a meeting took place between nurses and former Union Minister for External Affairs Preneet Kaur on January 29. However, the protesters said the government had not taken any concrete step to regularise their services.

The nurses said they were promised regularisation by the Chief Minister, but the government has backtracked from its promises.

Sandeep Kaur Barnala, chairperson, Nurses Association, Punjab, said: “We are working on a contractual basis for the past several years. Last year, we were given verbal assurance by the state government that our services will be regularised soon. But nothing has been done to date, except false promises.”

The protesting nurses called off their stir in the evening after an assurance of a panel   meeting with Health and Family Welfare Minister Brahm Mohindra on February 7.

The patients were at the receiving end as services at the OPD (outdoor patient department) of Rajindra Hospital remained paralysed because nurses and ancillary staff remained off duty for both morning and evening shifts.   

Hold march

The nurses carried out a protest march from the Government Medical College to the YPS roundabout. The protesters had planned to hold a protest outside the CM’s residence, but they were stopped by the police. The protesters later staged a dharna there only.  The protesting nurses called off their stir in the evening 

Patients suffer 

Patients were at the receiving end as services at the OPD (outdoor patient department) of the  Rajindra Hospital remained paralysed because nurses and ancillary staff remained off duty for both morning and evening shifts.