Nurses in Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) and Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital (IGGMCH) have decided to intensify their agitation to press their demands. Nurses, who are the backbone of health care facility, are at the forefront in the fight against the novel coronavirus. On Thursday, the nurses at GMCH and IGGMCH worked by wearing black ribbon to register their protest. The agitation is underway under the aegis of Aarogya Vibhag Kamgar-Karmachari Shakha, Maharashtra State.

 

If their demands are not fulfilled, they have decided to intensify the agitation and go on mass leave. Considering the intake of the patients, the Government should make the stock of oxygen, beds, ventilator and necessary medicines available, feel the nurses. The organisation has demanded that, nurses, doctors, Class IV employees, technicians should be selected through direct recruitment and not on contract basis. The other demands of nurses include the jumbo oxygen centres in the hospitals should be arranged separately, the isolation service time should be kept as it is, Government should accommodate ASHA workers, Anganvadi Sevika by implementing permanent pay scale, apart from Talathi, gramsevak, teacher, police, Homguard, Anganwadi Sevika, ASHA worker should be brought under Rs 50 lakh insurance cover, don’t hesitate while granting leaves to front line heathworkers.

 

The Government should immediately distribute the salary of the employees.” The organisatiion has demanded that the independent arrangement for the healthworkers working in COVID duty for food and stay should be done. The organisation further said that the poor and those from lower middle class can’t afford the treatment in private hospitals. But due to the neglect by Government these patients are not getting proper treatment in Government hospitals. Government should see everything through open eyes and streamline the system, pointed out the organisation. The organisation also warned of mass leave agitation if the demands are not fulfilled.