Times of India, March 5, 2012 Kannur - The 50-odd nurses in the Speciality Hospital here began an indefinite strike on Sunday demanding salary hike with three months' retrospective effect and better working conditions. The agitators said that they had given enough time to the hospital management to consider their demand, but the management followed an anti-employee approach by terminating four nursing staff. On January 18, the registered nursing staff in six hospitals in the district had given notice to the authorities for salary hike. When the managements of the other hospitals agreed to this, the institute gave hike to only a few. ... Nurses

Power, water supply cut off to one hostel as stir intensifies. R. Sujatha, The Hindu, March 5, 2012 It was a day of drama for the nurses of corporate hospitals who are demanding higher salary and better work benefits. Ever since the nurses announced their decision to go on strike, there has been subtle pressure on them from the management to give up their demand, the nurses say. At one hostel for women nurses in Kottivakkam power and water supply was cut for two days, according to the agitating nurses. A few nurses called The Hindu on Sunday and said that they had been told to vacate the hostel immediately. ... Nurses

Arun Janardhanan, Times of India, March 4, 2012 Joining the wave of protests across the country, nurses from several private hospitals in Chennai lashed out against their managements on Saturday, demanding better wages and work conditions. Nearly 2,000 nurses from Apollo Hospitals, Madras Medical Mission and Fortis Malar Hospital struck work holding placards that asked the management to 'respect our work.' Junior nurses are paid a gross monthly salary of ‘7,000 as against ‘20,000 their counterparts in government service draw. The strike brought about an unusual bonhomie among private hospitals which issued a joint press statement ... Private

Peethaambaran Kunnathoor, pharmabiz.com, March 3, 2012 Chennai - Against the backdrop of the ongoing strikes and agitations for minimum wages and better service conditions by the nurses unions in the private hospitals in Kerala, the Confederation of Private Hospitals Association (CPHA) has urged the government to redress the wage disputes on established norms rather than resorting to measures forcing the hospitals to shut down.

 The Confederation, in a memorandum to the government, said forceful settlement of disputes will jeopardize the entire healthcare system in the state, severely affecting the rural areas.

 ... Pvt

Hindustan Times, October 31, 2011 Mumbai - More than a week after the suicide of a nurse at the Asian Heart Institute, Bandra-Kurla Complex, that triggered a strike, nurses from private hospitals across Mumbai want the union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to set up a committee and reassess their working conditions. On Sunday evening, more than 200 nurses from various private city hospitals finalised their demands with regard to salaries, better working conditions. Next week, a delegation plans to meet Azad to discuss the demands. ... Nurses

Sumitra Deb Roy, Times of India, October 30, 2011 Mumbai - Last week's strike at Bandra's Asian Heart Institute (AHI) seems to have added fuel to the simmering fire among the nursing community. Besides retrieving their original education certificates from the country's premier heart hospital, the striking nurses have also managed to mobilize the community in the city to unite and stand for their rights. Around 500 nurses from the city's private hospitals will meet on Sunday at the Bhim Chhaya Sanskriti Kendra in Kalina to decide on the next course of action. The topmost issue on their agenda is to put an end to the bond system ... Nurses

Deccan Herald, August 24, 2011 Kolkata - West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday said the state health ministry will train fifty thousand women to meet the shortage of nurses in the state. “We have a very high shortage of nurses in the state," Banerjee said while addressing a medical programme here. "Earlier trained nurses from south India used to come and serve in hospitals and nursing homes of the state. But now those nurses from Kerala and Chennai go abroad for jobs. ... West

Payal Gwalani, Times of India, August 3, 2011 Nagpur - Majority of the state-run hospitals are encountering staff crisis, especially the nursing staff. City's Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) is facing similar problem. In an attempt to get over the crisis, more than 80 nurses were transferred to GMCH, a couple of months ago. However, only 16 of them joined the hospital, while the others are still waiting for suitable replacements to take over their previous positions. ... GMCH

Times of India, August 1, 2011 Kolkata - A 31-year-old nurse of SSKM Hospital committed suicide by hanging herself from the ceiling of the nurse's cabin on Sunday morning, police said. The body was sent for post-mortem. Soma Sarkar, a resident of Ashoknagar in North 24-Parganas, was a nurse at the hospital's gastro-enterology department. Hospital staff found her hanging in one of nurse's cabins of the department and informed the police immediately. No suicide note was found from the spot. Police suspect that the cause of the suicide is probably some family problem because of which Soma was depressed for some time. ... Nurse

Snehlata Shrivastav, Times of India, July 8, 2011 Nagpur - Nurses at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) went on a three-hour flash strike on Thursday to protest delay in payment of their salaries. Nurses have been getting their salaries only after 15th or 20th of every month since past year and half. They have been reminding the authorities about the delay but got no response from them. The nurses reported back to their duty only after getting the dean's assurance that payment of salary would be done at the earliest. ... GMCH

Hindustan Times, April 27, 2011 Mumbai - The nurses working in state-run medical colleges, barring six, will continue to wear reddish brown uniforms as the Bombay high court recently restrained the State Medical Education Department from allowing the traditional white uniforms for nurses working in 16 state-run medical colleges. Four of the six colleges that have not changed to the reddish brown uniforms are from Mumbai. These include Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, Grant Medical College, Cama and Albless Hospital and St George Hospital. ... State

Daily News & Analysis, April 27, 2011 About 300 planned surgeries in the JJ group of hospitals were cancelled on Tuesday after nearly 1,500 nurses belonging to the Maharashtra Government Nursing Federation went on a token strike. However, emergency work went on without any interruptions. “We did not plan a single surgery for today. All the emergency operations went well,” said Dr TP Lahane, dean of JJ hospital. Meanwhile a 70-year-old man was rushed to the JJ hospital with a skull fracture. There was a slight delay in the surgery as one of the nurses had locked the neurosurgery operation theatre which had to be opened. The man was finally operated upon. ... 300

Snehlata Shrivastav, Times of India, April 27, 2011 Nagpur - The one-day token strike of nurses in government hospitals on Tuesday was almost total but it did not have much effect on the working of the two medical colleges and the Daga Memorial Hospital as the authorities deployed nursing staff from the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and student nurses to handle emergency services. "Eleven normal deliveries were conducted with the help of NRHM and student nurses. 14 operations were also conducted," Dr Vaishali Khedikar, the medical superintendent of Daga, told TOI. ... Nurses

Anuradha Mascarenhas, Indian Express, April 26, 2011 Pune - Around 1,000 nurses from Sassoon Hospital, Aundh Civil Hospital, Regional Mental Hospital at Yerawada and Employees State Insurance Corporation Hospital will join their counterparts in the state and strike work on Tuesday. Nurses of government hospitals are also upset about the change in their dress code. “We are striking work for various demands that include parity in pay scales, filling up vacant posts and equipment and miscellaneous items in wards. We are also upset with the state order that directs nurses to revert to the old uniform system ... ” Nurses

Snehlata Shrivastav, The Times of India, April 26, 2011 Nagpur - Nurses in all government hospitals in Maharashtra including the two medical colleges in city will be on a one day strike on Tuesday to press their demands of allowances as per sixth pay commission, security, and filling up of posts as per Indian Nursing Council norms. As of now it is just a one day strike but the Maharashtra Government Nursing Federation (MGNF) is threatening an indefinite strike from June 27 if the demands are not met by then. Maharashtra Nursing Council (MNC) president Ramling Mali told TOI it was ridiculous that the government was not even following the High Court directives. ... Govt