Mumbai: Nurses in Maharashtra continued their protest for the second day on Tuesday at Azad Maidan, demanding that they be excluded from the state government’s administrative transfer policy. Nursing organizations say that administrative transfers are causing mental stress to thousands of nurses and their families. The protest will continue until May 20.
Stop-Work Protest After May 22 If No Response
The protesting nurses said that all nurses are currently continuing their duties and reporting to work as usual. However, they warned that if they do not receive a positive response from the state government, they will plan a stop-work protest after May 22.
Sumitra Tote, General Secretary of the Maharashtra State Nurses Association (MSNA), said that the process of administrative transfers for employees in the nursing cadre has begun in the state, affecting a large number of nurses. According to her, nearly 90 percent of employees in the nursing cadre are women who serve patients in morning, afternoon, and night shifts. Frequent transfers, therefore, have a serious impact on their family lives.
Family Responsibilities vs. Frequent Transfers
The organization stated that most female nurses are responsible for caring for parents, in-laws, and children. Due to administrative transfers, they face difficulties balancing family responsibilities and their jobs. Departmental transfers within institutions are already carried out every three years in the nursing cadre, making additional administrative transfers unnecessary.
Tote further said that nurses are not in charge of any financial responsibilities, and therefore should be permanently exempted from the administrative transfer policy. The protesting nurses accused the government of neglect, saying that during the COVID-19 pandemic, when even patients’ relatives were afraid to visit hospitals, nurses risked their own lives to care for patients. Despite this, their pending demands continue to be ignored.
No Allowance Hike in 40 Years
Tote also said that recruitment rules for nurses have remained pending for several years, due to which many nurses eligible for promotion are retiring without receiving promotions. In addition, there has been no increase in nurses’ allowances over the past 40 years.
Office-bearers of the organization have urged the government to exclude nurses from the administrative transfer policy and allow transfers only under special circumstances, upon request, or in response to complaints. They said that nurses are not only the backbone of the healthcare system but also the foundation of their families.
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