Nurses at J’khand’s premier hospital go on strike

RANCHI: Health facilities at Jharkhand’s premier hospital Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) may be hit as over 350 junior nurses have decided to go on an indefinite strike from Sunday midnight.

The nurses are demanding pay at par with their AIIMS counterparts and extension in retirement age to 65 years for technical staff.

In a bid to check the sudden shortage, the district administration has decided to send at least 150 nurses from Sadar Hospital to work at RIMS during the crisis.

The RIMS administration, too, has decided to temporarily deploy around 200 nursing students at the hospital. “Following the instructions of top officials, we have decided to send 150 nurses from Sadar to RIMS during the strike there,” said Ranchi civil surgeon SS Harijan.

Ram Rekha Rai, president of RIMS nurses association, however, said the auxiliary nurse midwives (ANM) have extended their support to the nurses and refused to offer their services at RIMS. Rai added that the 150 nurses of Sadar, too, have refused to join temporarily at RIMS.

Nearly 1,500 patients are currently admitted in different wards of RIMS. The striking nurses have, however, decided that they will continue their duties at the emergency, labour and neonatal wards.

“A 2014 directive of the health department said RIMS employees should get salary equivalent to their AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) counterparts in Delhi. Our salary is yet to be revised accordingly,” said Ivy Rani Xalxo, secretary of Junior Nurses Association of RIMS.