Patients in the medicine ward at SCB. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

July 22: The ongoing ceasework by contractual nurses has affected healthcare at various government-run medical colleges and other referral hospitals across the state.

Around 1,600 contractual nurses across the state have boycotted duties since July 15, demanding regularisation of jobs and salary hike.

However, the agitation has failed to hit healthcare at Capital Hospital as 80 nurses, deployed under the National Rural Health Mission scheme, have not joined the strike.

Similarly, the situation at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack improved today with the nursing students shouldering the responsibility of patient care.

In another development, a PIL has been filed in Orissa High Court, seeking declaration of the contractual nurses’ strike as illegal and addressing the protesters’ genuine grievances. The petition stated that there were 1,676 contractual nurses in the state.

Of them, 1,541 are posted at the three medical colleges and hospitals that have only around 600 regular nurses. The healthcare had worsened with the nursing students, who were substituted for contractual nurses, abstaining from work since Friday.

In a related development, the Odisha Nursing Employees’ Association has threatened to join the strike if the government fails to take any concrete step.

At present, nearly 295 regular nurses are sharing the workload at SCB. Students of SCB Nursing School, who had stopped work for a day demanding security, today resumed duties, improving the overall situation at SCB.

The healthcare services at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Postgraduate Institute of Paediatric Studies (also known as Sishu Bhavan) in Cuttack has also been affected because of the strike.

Attendants of the patients at Sishu Bhavan yesterday staged a demonstration and gheraoed the office of the hospital superintendent against the alleged delay in providing treatment to the patients.

At present, 33 regular nurses are catering to the patients’ needs at Sishu Bhavan as 77 contractual nurses have boycotted duties to press for their demands.

Health services at VSS Medical College and Hospital in Burla have also been badly hit because of the strike. Over 300 contractual nurses at VSS are on strike. Ninety-one permanent staff nurses manage the 800-bed hospital. However, the hospital authorities now have the nursing students to manage the situation.

Similar situation was witnessed at MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur as over 300 contractual nurses joined the cease work, forcing the 86 regular nurses to attend to patients at the 1,081-bed hospital.

“The healthcare has been affected. We have taken alternative measures by deploying the nursing students to manage the situation,” said MKCG superintendent Ashok Behera.