202 nurses were arrested and 14 suspended in MP
BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh’s 202 nurses were arrested and 14 suspended on Thursday after they refused to call off their strike despite the Madhya Pradesh government invoking the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to prevent any disruption of health services in the state. The state government invoked ESMA Tuesday night.
The striking nurses have threatened to resign on Friday if their demands for a hike in salary and other benefits are not met.
Around 3,500 nurses of five medical colleges of Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, Jabalpur and Rewa districts – are on an indefinite strike since Wednesday.
Indranil Shankar Daani the Principal Secretary of Health Education has instructed all deans to give a 24-hour ultimatum to all the striking nurses, the health department said in a press release. The principal secretary also ordered them to dismiss the nurses on strike after the 24-hour deadline.
They were demanding benefits of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations, raising their retirement age to 65 years and increasing the stipend given to trainee nurses.
Fourteen nurses in Gwalior, Jabalpur, Bhopal and Indore were suspende, apart from those who get arrested. Among them was president of the Madhya Pradesh Nurses Association Rekha Parmar.
Dean of the Gajara Raja Medical College in Gwalior Dr. Kamal Bhadoria said, “We have suspended seven nurses from our medical college. And action will be taken soon on the others too.”
According to press release, 74 nurses had returned to work and alternative arrangements had been made to lessen the impact of the strike on patients.
