Indian Express, August 12, 2010 Ahmedabad - The U N Mehta Heart Institute Nursing Association has challenged the enforcement of Gujarat Essential Services Maintenance Act (GESMA), 1972, in the Gujarat High Court, a day after it was invoked on the nurses of the institute who are on a strike since Monday. The hearing on the petition is scheduled for Thursday. Advocate Amrish Patel, who filed the petition, said GESMA was challenged as the notification was without any authority of law. The institute was not a solely government operated body, but only received grant-in-aid. As such, enforcement of GESMA was not applicable under the present circumstances, he said. ... Nurses

Times of India, August 12, 2010 Ahmedabad - The stalemate over the nurses' strike at UN Mehta hospital continued as both the nursing association, as well as, the hospital management stuck to their respective stands. The nurses are learnt to have moved Gujarat High Court against the imposing of ESMA on them. Nearly 250 nurses at the UN Mehta Cardiology Institute been protesting against the non-implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission and a host of other human resource issue. ... Stalemate

Indian Express, August 11, 2010 Ahmedabad - Nurses say govt turning a blind eye to their long-pending demand of implementing Sixth Pay Commission recommendations. The police on Tuesday rounded up 193 nurses of the U N Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre after the state government invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) against them. Meanwhile, three nursing staff, including Hiten Patel, president of the newly registered UN Mehta Heart Institute Nursing Association, were put under suspension. ... Govt

Times of India, August 10, 2010 Ahmedabad - There was high drama at UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology as 193 striking nurses were detained by police here on Tuesday after the state health department issued notification prohibiting strike in cardiac services under Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA). The nurses were threatened with arrest under ESMA but this did not deter the striking staff who were determined to get arrested and not seek bail. The officials consulted higher ups and later showed the nurses as detained under section 144 of the CrPC for violating the police commissioner's order. The nurses were let off in the evening. ... UN

Surbhi Khyati Indian Express, July 30, 2010 Lucknow - In a bid to address the issue of shortage of nurses in hospitals across UP, the state Health department is planning to set up training centres for nurses in all the 18 divisional headquarters. The proposal to set up such centres in the district hospitals has been prepared by the Uttar Pradesh Health System Development Project (UPHSDP) and will be sent to the state government for approval. ... Plans

Hindustan Times, July 10, 2010 Mumbai - Nurses, ward boys and other paramedical staff will go on indefinite strike from July 14 if the they are not paid revised salaries as per the Sixth Pay Commission. More than 1,000 of such workers from the three major civic hospitals - KEM, Nair and Sion - staged demonstrations on Friday afternoon. The workers’ and nurses’ union representatives served notices to the deans of all three hospitals warning that they will go on indefinite strike if the BMC does not meet their demand. Patients were not inconvenienced as the staff stopped work for only two to three hours. ... Paramedical

Times of India, June 23, 2010 "It’s 9.30 PM and attendants sitting by the side of patients in male medical ward number 2 are praying. ‘‘I hope the night passes of peacefully,’’ said RK Shukla whose father is undergoing treatment here. The cause of his concern is other than his father’s ailment. ‘‘There would be no one to attend to him if his condition deteriorates,’’ he rues. At the root of Shukla’s concern stands a major health issue of Uttar Pradesh. Against a need of some 21,000 nurses, there are just 6,000 sanctioned posts, 700 of which are lying vacant. ... Nursing

Ripunjoy Das, Calcutta Telegraph, June 22, 2010 Dibrugarh - The Dibrugarh district unit of the All Assam Nurses Association today alleged that several patients had died recently at the Assam Medical College and Hospital here because of an acute shortage of nursing staff. The association levelled the allegation while protesting against an alleged move by the state health department to transfer 40 posts of nurses on attachment, from the Assam Medical College and Hospital, Dibrugarh, to the newly established Jorhat Medical College and Hospital when the AMCH was plagued by an acute shortage of nursing staff. ... Nurses

Assam Tribune, June 22, 2010 Dibrugarh – The Directorate of Health Services’ alleged attempt to pay the salaries of some 40 appointed nurses of the infant Jorhat Medical College and Hospital (JMCH) through Assam Medical College and Hospital has come under scathing attack from the nursing fraternity. Through the order, some 40 newly appointed nurses of JMCH were directed to draw salaries from AMCH, according to Junu Chutia, secretary, All Assam Nurses Association, Dibrugarh branch. As a mark of protest, the nurses of the medical institute today rendered their services wearing black badges. The nursing fraternity had also decided to stage demonstration tomorrow ... AMCH

Deepa Suryanarayan, Daily News & Analysis, May 25, 2010 This is what the government could classify as a ‘health crisis’. According to the Union health ministry, India is currently facing a shortage of over 60% nurses. In fact, in few public hospitals in the city, the nurse-patient ratio is about 1:60 in the evening and night shifts. According to the Nursing Council of India, there are around 10.35 lakh nurses registered with them, but only 40% are in active service. “The nurse-patient ratio is extremely strained and possibly the worst when compared to other developed countries,” said Thresiamma Sugathan, president, Trained Nurses Association ... Public

Press Trust of India, October 22, 2009 Dehradun - Nurses in government hospitals of Uttarakhand abstained from duty during the second shift of the day for the second consecutive day today to press for their demands, including removal of pay disparity and higher allowances. Uttarakhand Nurses Services Association general secretary Anjana Bhowmik said their protest would continue till their demands are met. The nurses are demanding an increase in their uniform and washing allowances and removal of pay disparity between them and other government employees. Meanwhile, hospital authorities have pressed trainee nurses to minimise the impact of protest on medical services.

Vidya Krishnan Indian Express, May 27, 2009 New Delhi - Asked to resign for speaking in their native language, two nurses of the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital have approached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Labour Ministry. “We want this harassment to end. The hospital should not have such a clause. This is the second such incident reported from the hospital,” Usha Krishna Kumar, president of the Malyalee Nurses Association and wife of former Union Minister S Krishna Kumar, said. ... Nurses

Little About, May 27, 2009 Talk may be cheap but it might have cost two nurses at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in New Delhi their jobs. The two nurses were reprimanded for speaking in Malayalam on hospital premises, which is against its rules. Though they allege that they were asked to resign, the hospital has denied any such move, insisting that they are “still with the hospital”. The two nurses will approach the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) over the issue. The nurses, who were on intensive care unit duty at the Cardio Thoracic Vascular Surgery ward, on Monday afternoon, greeted each other in the hospital lobby in Malayalam. ... Native

Sreelekha Nair, NewsBlaze, May 26,2009 As Suja, 24, nervously boarded the train her mobile phone rang. "It's Nimmi calling," she announced to her family - mother, father and brother - and friends, who were busy adjusting her luggage under her seat in the second class sleeper coach of the train. "So, she is already at the station," remarked her friend Bindu, a final year nursing student. Just then the Kerala Express showed signs of pulling out from the small station of Thiruvalla, from where Suja had completed her diploma course in nursing and midwifery and from where her loved ones were now seeing her off. ... Kerala

IANS, May 26, 2009 New Delhi - Two nurses, who were asked to resign for speaking to each other in Malayalam at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital here, will now take up the matter with the National Human Right's Commission (NHRC). Hospital authorities, however, said the two are 'still with the hospital'. The nurses, Jenny Joseph and Laila Menon (names changed), were posted in the ICU of the Cardio Thoracic Vascular Surgery (CTVS) ward. Reporting for afternoon duty at 1:45 PM Monday, the two greeted each other at the lift lobby in Malayalam, not realising that the nursing superintendent Usha Bannerjee was behind them. ... Nurses