Bhubaneswar: Nurses across the state Monday withdrew their cease work agitation after getting assurance from two senior BJD MLAs.
About 6,000 nurses working in three state-run medical colleges, 30 district headquarters hospitals and the Capital Hospital here had launched the cease work agitation in the morning demanding fulfillment of their 10-point charter of demands.
The demands of the Orissa Nursing Employees’ Association included regularization of staff nurses working under National Health Mission and those who have completed six years in service and hike in basic pay from `5,200 to `9,300 along with a grade pay of `4,200.
They alleged though the nurses have been making the demands for long, none paid any importance to them.
Therefore, the nurses resorted to cease work agitation, said association secretary Prabhati Mohanty.
A report from Cuttack said the agitation was called off after assurances from the superintendent of SCB Medical College and Hospital.
“Most of the demands of the nurses appear to be very genuine and the state government has already initiated steps to fulfill them,” SCB hospital superintendent Prof PK Rath said hoping the grievances of the nurses would be removed within two months.
As health and family welfare minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak and department secretary Arti Ahuja were on a visit to Malkangiri district, the government sent Cuttack Barabati MLA Debashish Samantaray and Cuttack Choudwar MLA Prabhat Biswal to talk to the agitating nurses at SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack. PNN
