Kerala private sector nurses’ strike disrupts hospital services in Kozhikode

Functioning of major private hospitals in Kozhikode, Kerala, was disrupted on Monday following a strike call by members of the United Nurses Association (UNA) seeking better pay and other benefits.

The strike is part of a Statewide agitation being held by the UNA. Though the Kerala government recently revised the pay structure of nurses working in private hospitals, the UNA claimed that certain hospitals were not willing to implement it.

In Kozhikode, the strike affected services at major hospitals such as Baby Memorial Hospital (BMH), where a large number of nursing staff stayed away from work. A section of the nursing staff also staged a protest outside the BMH claiming that the UNA functionaries were threatened and abused by the management representatives. UNA district functionary Jishnu Ashok alleged that some of the recently joined nursing staff were locked up inside rooms and forced to join duty.

The UNA functionaries also claimed that the strike was complete in other city hospitals such as Iqraa Hospital, Aster MIMS Hospital, Meitra Hospital, Fathima Hospital, Malabar Hospitals, and Red Crescent Hospital, Feroke, and Santhi Hospital, Omassery.

Reliance on auxiliary staff

According to sources, some of the hospitals are depending on auxiliary nursing staff to manage the situation as critical procedures such as major surgeries scheduled for the day cannot be postponed.

The striking nurses also staged a dharna outside the District Collectorate. Minister for Public Works and Tourism P.A. Mohamed Riyas, who was passing by the Collectorate premises on his way to open the widened Mananchira-Vellimadukunnu Road, was booed by some protesters.

Mr. Ashok said the protest would continue in the coming days if their demands are not met.

Meanwhile, district leaders of the Kerala Private Hospitals Association said no talks were being held at present to solve the crisis.