The Hindu, February 21, 2007 New Delhi - President APJ Abdul Kalam has asked nurses to become knowledge workers so that they could treat patients who need special care. "Nurses have to become knowledge workers because of the advancement in healthcare technologies. Today with the rapid advancements in healthcare system and creation of specialities and super specialities in medicine, there is definitely need to look at the super specialities needed in nursing to complement the doctors," he said at the inauguration of the 7th Asian Cardiac Nursing conference here on Tuesday. ... Kalam

Hindustan Times, February 20, 2007 Allahabad - Agitated over the 'babucracy' of the dealing clerks, the staff nurses and sisters created uproar at the office of the Superintendent-in-Charge (SIC) of the Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital here  on Tuesday. The staff nurses and sisters were upset over the delay made by the clerks in releasing their salary statement and the failure of the hospital management in taking action against them. The nurses demanded of the SIC to immediately release their salary statements and send a complaint to the government against the dealing clerks who delayed the application for releasing their official document. The office-bearers of the District Nurses Association also expressed resentment over the missing appointment letters and personnel files of over 150 staff nurses and sisters from the SIC's office. ... SRN

Herald, February 17, 2007 Panjim - Goa Government Employees Association (GGEA) today deferred the nurses’ strike called by it from Monday onwards, following an assurance from the Chief Minister Pratapsing Rane. GGEA President M L Shetkar told reporters here that the Association delegation called on the Chief Minister who assured them that pending grievances of government nurses would be resolved by a Cabinet decision on Monday. Satisfied by the assurance, they decided to defer the indefinite stir by a few months. “We are expecting the order – hiking their allowances - to come by  Wednesday”, Shetkar said. He, however, warned that if the government doesn’t hike the allowances of nurses as promised, they would not hesitate to strike work. ... Nurses

Navhind Times, February 17, 2007 Panaji - The Health Minister, Mr Dayanand Narvekar today said that the nurses in the state would get all the hiked allowances as recommended by the Centre from April 1, 2007, the new financial year, even as he warned that government would invoke the Essential Services Maintenance Act to prevent strike by some nurses. Addressing a press conference at the state secretariat today, Mr Narvekar said that the finance department had cleared the proposal of the government last month and that the issue would be put up for discussion and approval in the cabinet meeting on Monday. ... Nurses

Nilanjana Bhaduri Jha, Times of India, January 17, 2007 New Delhi - Slaves. Archaic and other-worldly as the word sounds, it best describes the current state of a number of Indian nurses working in Saudi Arabia, struggling to return to India but being held back against their wishes. Simply put, the women want to come back home but are not being allowed to. The Gulf dream in their eyes, these nurses went on a three-year work contract with the Saudi Ministry of Health. The contracts expired in December 2006, but they are now being forced to continue working despite the fact that they have pleaded that they do not want to renew their employment. ... Indian

Mohammed Wajihuddin, Times of India, December 17, 2006 Mumbai - Their hair is tied into modest ponytails and braids. Their eyes are kohl-smeared and twinkling. Their spotless white uniform makes them look distinguished. And when they talk, they look into your eyes.These are some of the 20 teenaged girls, mostly Muslims, training to be nurses. Not a popular profession in the community. Conservative Muslim families don't encourage their daughters to take up a job which entails touching and tending to the opposite sex. It's extremely rare to encounter a Muslim nurse in this country. Even if families are willing to let their girls become nurses, clerics and friends would bemoan the decision. Yet, the forces of modern times are egging some girls, against all opposition, to pursue a profession that is not just noble, but increasingly lucrative with employment prospects in wealthier countries. ... When

Newindpress.com, October 1, 2006 Puducherry -The JIPMER staff, who struck work for the past 22 days, joined duty on Saturday, after the Madras High Court on Friday directed the JIPMER management to take back the suspended employees, after obtaining an undertaking from them that they would not resort to any direct action or indulge in violence in the future. General Secretary of JIPMER Staff Struggle Committee (JSSC) Arochiamkalaimathi said that the suspended striking staff submitted a written undertaking to the Director of JIPMER K S V K Subba Rao and resumed duty. ... Striking

Sangai Express, August 28, 2006 Imphal - Consequent upon the cease work strike launched by the Trained Nurses Association of India (TNAI), RIMS Unit from today, service at the hospital was severely affected. The Casualty and Emergency Department and the operation theatre were shut down from 1 pm today which forced many patients and their attendants to shift to other hospitals. The nurses' organisation has been demanding regularisation of the existing nursing staff instead of appointing another 55 nurses on contract basis. ... Nurses

Imphal Free Press, August 27, 2006 Imphal - Normal functioning of the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, RIMS, Lamphel, is likely to be seriously affected with the Trained Nurses Association of India, RIMS unit, intending to go on an indefinite ceasework strike from 6 AM tomorrow (August 28). The TNAI, RIMS unit took the decision to launch the strike in view of the failure of the RIMS authorities to take action regarding their demands by today, which was the deadline the nurses had set earlier. ... RIMS

Telegraph, August 7, 2006 Imphal - Nurses serving in government hospitals today served an ultimatum to the Okram Ibobi Singh government, demanding an increase in their uniform allowance by tomorrow or face an indefinite ceasework from Wednesday. The ultimatum was submitted to health minister D. Korungthang. It said more than 874 nurses, under the Nurses Association of Manipur, would resort to mass casual leave tomorrow and cease work from August 9. The memorandum expressed unhappiness at the government order dated August 2, which hiked washing and mess allowances to Rs 100 and Rs 200 per month respectively, but did not increase the uniform allowance. ... Nurses

Express News Service, August 7, 2006
Lucknow - Continuing with their strike, the nurses of the various hospitals of the city staged a demonstration at the health directorate under the banner of the Rajkiya Nurses Sangh UP, on Thursday. They also submitted a memorandum of their demands to the principal secretary (medical health). The Rajkiya Nurses Sangh has demanded that the process of appointing nurses on contract basis through a contractor for 53 posts should be stopped immediatly and the government order should be cancelled, the transfers of the nurses by declaring them paramedical staff should be cancelled and the government orders dated March 27, 2006 should be implemented immediatly, where every nurse should be given Rs 1500 per annum as uniform allowance, Rs 1200 per annum as washing allowance and Rs 6000 per annum as nursing and lodging allowance.

Demand immediate imprisonment of SO for levelling false charges.
Hindustan Times, July 17, 2006

Allahabad - The Samajwadi Party activists and members of the District Nurses’ Association staged a dharna at the Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital (SRNH) on Monday to protest against the delay in lodging FIR against the George Town police station officer (SO) for levelling false charges.

The activists led by Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha Mahanagar president Mohd Asad also gheraoed SRNH superintendent-in-charge (SIC) Dr MP Singh and handed over a memorandum to him. ... Nurses

Express News Service, July 7, 2006
Lucknow - Continuing with their strike, the nurses of the various hospitals of the city staged a demonstration at the health directorate under the banner of the Rajkiya Nurses Sangh UP, on Thursday. They also submitted a memorandum of their demands to the principal secretary (medical health). The Rajkiya Nurses Sangh has demanded that the process of appointing nurses on contract basis through a contractor for 53 posts should be stopped immediatly and the government order should be cancelled, the transfers of the nurses by declaring them paramedical staff should be cancelled and the government orders dated March 27, 2006 should be implemented immediatly, where every nurse should be given Rs 1500 per annum as uniform allowance, Rs 1200 per annum as washing allowance and Rs 6000 per annum as nursing and lodging allowance.

Imphal Free Press, July 4, 2006

Imphal - The Nurses Association of Manipur, apex body of all nurses working under the state government, has announced that it would not abide by the accord reached by the JAC of the AMGEO and AMTUC on June 26 on the grounds that it has sidetracked the vital interests of the nurses.

Demanding parity with their counterparts in RIMS, and in other states of the north-east in respect of nursing allowance, uniform allowance and washing allowance, the nurses have warned they are prepared to go on ceasework strike again if their demands are not considered within two weeks time. ... Nurses

Express News Service, July 2, 2006

Lucknow - The nurses’ strike entered fifth day on Sunday, adversely effecting the patient-care facilities of the King George’s Medical University to a great extent. While the administration kept saying that the nurses were being requested to call off the strike, the nurses claimed it was not serious about their demands, thus, they would continue their stir.

Talking to Express Newsline, the General Secretary of the Nurses Association informed, ‘‘The nurses from various government hospitals of the city will join us on Monday, to stage a dharna in front of the Vidhan Bhawan. We will not bow down.’’ ... Nurses