Mumbai: The directorate of medical education and research (DMER) on Saturday held a virtual meeting with deans, medical superintendents, nursing superintendents, and matrons of the state-run hospitals. The director asked deans to take the help of nurses working in civic-run hospitals and nearby nursing colleges to ensure the smooth functioning of hospitals amid the indefinite strike announced by nurses.
“If the need arises, we have asked them to write to the other nursing colleges and municipal corporation-run hospitals and take help of their students and staff. The situation is presently in control and we are hoping the protesting nurses return to work at the earliest so that patient care doesn’t suffer,” said Dr Deelip Mhaisekar, director, DMER.
Keeping the strike in mind, DMER has called for the cancellation of vacation leaves of all teachers in the state-run hospitals.
DMER also asked the medical superintendents and hospital deans to convince the protesting nurses to end the strike and return to work.
About 15,000 nurses of Maharashtra State Nurses Association (MSNA) working in state-run hospitals have gone on an indefinite strike from today after the government refused to accept their demand of not allowing an external agency to recruit nurses on a contract basis to fill 1,700-odd vacant positions.
In Mumbai, according to MSNA, 1,400 nurses from JJ Hospital, St George Hospital, GT Hospital, and Bandra Public Health care centre are participating in the strike. The association is protesting against outsourcing the hiring of 1,749 of the 4,500 vacancies across the state.
Since May 23, the nurses have been boycotting work for an hour between 7.30 am to 8.30 am. Later, the nurses went on a two-day-long strike where they boycotted emergency services. Protesting nurses in Mumbai gathered at Azad Maidan between 10 am to 5 pm on May 26-27.