Nurses from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and other hospitals along with members of various women’s organisations staged a protest on Tuesday to demand action against the hospital administration in connection with the recent death of a nurse. The staff nurse allegedly committed suicide at her home on Sunday by hanging herself.
The nurse was apparently depressed over her transfer to another department and had left a suicide note. According to the AIIMS Nurses’ Union, the deceased, who worked in the Intensive Care Unit of the Neuro Tower centre for eight years, was transferred to the ward where she was being mentally harassed.
AIIMS nurses union joint secretary Anil Kumar said: “She was transferred to the ward in the Neuro Tower centre where she was being mentally harassed by the administration. She was frequently put on night duty and even her child care leave was not sanctioned. The union has given 48 hours to the AIIMS administration to take action in the case.”
“We are demanding that the Deputy Nursing Superintendent and the Chief Nursing officer be suspended,” he added.
The nurse lived with her family in the Ashram area and, according to AIIMS officials, was brought to the hospital’s emergency between 9.30 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Sunday where she was declared dead on arrival. The police have recovered a suicide note.
Protesters on Tuesday said health professionals across the country were working in “extremely stressful work environment, and there is lack of proper grievance redress mechanism at hospitals”.
“The unfortunate incident involving the AIIMS nurse is one amongst a spate of similar incidents involving health care sector workers who are struggling to manage extremely stressful workloads, work-related harassment (including sexual harassment) and lack of proper grievance redress mechanisms at hospitals where they work,” said Maya John of the Centre for Struggling Women.
