An intern manhandled a nurse at the Nalanda Medical College and Hospital's (NMCH) paediatrics department on Monday morning.

Shortly after, a four-hour flash strike - from about 10am - by nurses on the day shift paralysed services in the peak hours at the hospital. The nurses were demanding action against the erring intern.

According to sources, the nurse on day shift refused to administer intravenous drip to a two-month-old boy, which led to the feud between her and the intern for around 22 minutes from 9.26am onwards. The sources added that when the intern asked the nurse to administer intravenous drip to the patient, she denied stating that it was the intern's job.

The nurse received injuries in her right elbow and she had to be admitted to the hospital's orthopaedic wing later.

According to a senior doctor of the hospital, the norm is the junior doctors or interns have to do the intravenous drip insertion but the medication and fluids have to be given through intravenous drip set by the nurses.

Confirming the incident, NMCH superintendent Anand Prasad Singh said the matter was sorted out shortly and both of them had reached a consensus. "The nurse has received little injuries while being manhandled by the intern. We are providing treatment to the nurse. There is nothing to worry about. Both parties sorted out their dispute after the hospital administration convened a meeting with them."

On the other hand, the nurses on strike resumed work only after the hospital administration talked to them in the afternoon.

Harikishore Prasad, attendant of a patient, said the hospital administration should take tough action against its staff if they paralyse functioning of a health hub for any reason. "After all, we people have to pay the price. The hospital administration should take strict action against such people," he said.

On Sunday, the sources said, similar incidents prevailed on Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) campus when a junior doctor was assaulted by another junior doctor along with some former students of the PMCH over a minor issue. Before this, a junior doctor at PMCH assaulted a male nurse over a minor issue. Both parties lodged an FIR against each other in this connection with the PMCH police outpost.

Hunger strike

Around 60 PMCH nurses sat on a hunger strike on the hospital campus in protest against its decision of removing them from the staff quarters.

The hospital administration has launched a drive to remove the illegal occupants from the campus last week.

The nurses, who sat on a dharna, claimed that they were legal occupants of the quarters.