BHOPAL: After junior doctors, around 25,000 nursing staff working under the department of medical education (DME), have now threatened to go on a strike from June 10 for fulfilment of their 8-point charter of demands, including salary hike and fulfilment of other demands, such as night allowance. If their demands are not met, they will go on an indefinite strike from June 24.
The junior doctors have called off their strike after getting a 17 per cent stipend hike. Now, members of the nursing staff are up in arms for a salary hike.
The demands include:
* A salary hike on the lines of the third and fourth pay hike which is being already given in hospitals attached to the medical colleges of Gwalior and Rewa
* The nurses demand its benefits should be given to all nursing staff in other government medical colleges as also to degree and diploma-holders
* A change in their designation (nurses should be called ënursing officersí, ënursing sistersí and ësenior nursing officersí as done by the central government and other state governments.
* Keeping a proper record of the GPF of the nursing staff
* Appointment of male nurses be done in Madhya Pradesh
* As in other states, nursing staff should be given the rank of Grade-2 and they should be given a grade pay of Rs9,300óRs4,600óRs34,800
* As doctors, nursing staff should be paid night allowance
* Assistant director, nursing, should be made from the nursing cadres and not from other departments
Unanimous decision
"Today, a meeting was held at Sultania Lady Hospital and a unanimous decision has been taken to go on a strike if our demands are not met." -Surendra Singh Kaurav, president, Madhya Pradesh Swashthya Karmchari Sangh.
