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Nurses stage demonstration

— Photo:T. Singaravelou

NURSING THEIR GRIEVANCES: Members of the Pondicherry Government Nurses Association protesting in front of the General Hospital in Puducherry on Wednesday.

PUDUCHERRY: The Pondicherry Government Nurses Association on Wednesday staged a protest demonstration for about an hour in front of the General Hospital to draw the attention of the administration to their 13-point charter of demands.

They also demanded immediate steps to reduce their work load.

The shortage of staff in Government Hospitals had reached a situation where the nurses were not able to avail themselves of their leave, M. Cadirvelou, secretary of the association said.

While the Staff Inspection Unit (SIU) norms had fixed the nurse-patient ratio as 1:6 in the medical and surgical wards, one nurse had to attend to 40 to 50 patients admitted in two wards, owing to shortage of staff in a majority of Government hospitals.

Likewise, the SIU norms had stipulated the nurse-patient ratio to 1:1 in critical care units but in most of the Government Hospitals one nurse had to take care of six patients in such units, he said, pleading with the Government to take immediate steps to rectify the shortcomings.

The association also demanded the re-designation of nursing posts as in Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education Research.

The re-designation would not involve any financial implications, he said.

They also wanted the administration to increase the special allowance from Rs. 60 to Rs. 120 a month.

Other demands included regularisation of the nurses appointed on adhoc basis, introduction of proper transfer policy, accommodation facility for nurses working in Government Hospitals and establishment of separate Nurses Registration Council in Puducherry.

He said the association had decided to continue with their protest till the Government implemented their demands.

The association had threatened to go on a mass casual leave on October 30.

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