Binayak Sen visits striking nurses

Says their strike a fight for just wages, right to live with dignity

Civil rights activist Binayak Sen on Saturday called on the agitating nurses at Mother Hospital here and expressed solidarity with them.

Calling their strike a fight for just wages and the right to live with dignity, Dr. Sen said corporatisation and commodification of healthcare should be condemned.

Jan Sasthya Abhiyan activist Suhana also expressed support to the nurses.

Hunger strike

Meanwhile, the hunger strike by P. Rashmi, treasurer of the United Nurses Association (UNA), demanding to reinstate the nurses who have been suspended from service by the management of Mother Hospital, completed six days.

The nurses have been agitating under the banner of the UNA for the past 74 days, demanding the implementation of the Balram Committee recommendations.

Functioning of private hospitals in the district has been hit for the past five days as nurses of various hospitals joined the agitation. However, nurses on emergency duty are not taking part in the strike. “The association has ensured the presence of 25 per cent nurses in each hospital,” UNA leader Jasmin Shah said. A consensus on ending the strike could not be reached even after several rounds of talks. While the nurses alleged that talks failed due to the stubborn attitude of the management, the management argued that the nurses had been unnecessarily intruding into the administration of the hospital.