Agartala June 12: They staged a protest in front of MS’s room at GB Hospital on Monday demanding regularization of staff nurses appointed during the Covid epidemic and payment of dues. The protesting staff nurses complained that they were appointed contractually in 2022. Then they are kept for 9 months after working for a fixed period of time. They were reappointed from January to March 2023.
Then they were re-seated for two months with three months’ arrears. But now the health department is going to appoint them again for two months. Through this, they came to know from sources that there is no money in the fund of the health department. So their complaint is not to hire them like this without paying the dues. And demanded to regularize them instead of appointing them for just two months or to appoint them for 11 months. Later they went to meet MS Sanjeev Debvarma at GB Hospital with this demand, but they became more agitated as he was absent. Their further statement thus appointing them after a few days is pushing the future towards an uncertainty. They said they are currently 100 people. Risking their lives, they served during the Covid pandemic. And they are currently noticing an acute shortage of staff nurses in hospitals. Patients are suffering from shortage of staff especially in the medicine ward. An opportunity was given to meet the Chief Minister twice by letter. But they said that they did not get a chance. They warned today that if the government does not take a final decision on them then they will launch a larger movement.
