Bhubaneswar: Hours after the ultimatum served by Mission Director of National Health Mission (NHM), Orissa, Shalini Pandit asking the agitating contractual nurses to join work within 24 hours, the latter numbering around 2100 formed a new association Sunday and decided to continue their ongoing strike at lower PMG.
Until Saturday the NHM nurses were agitating under the banner of the Orissa Nursing Employees’ Association.
Sunday, they founded a new association – NHM Contractual Staff Nurses’ Employees Association. They also elected the new office bearers of the association Sunday.
Newly elected working president Rajalaxmi Parida said the new body was the need of the hour, as the erstwhile office bearers had betrayed the nurses, deserting them mid-way through the agitation. “Our strike enters 7th day today and it will continue till our demands are conceded and we receive a written assurance from the government in this regard,” she said.
Meanwhile, healthcare in government hospitals across the state has severely been affected as nurses staged ceased work from December 18.
The agitating nurses recruited under NRHM are demanding regularisation of their jobs, upgradation of pay structure and equal pay for equal work with their counterparts in the private sector and filling up of the vacant nurse’s posts.
PNN