GMCH-32 nurses’ mass casual leave hits services

Over 300 nurses at the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, held the hospital to ransom on Friday, crippling the healthcare services for most part of the day.

The nursing staff, barring the nursing incharges and nursing superintendents, proceeded on mass casual leave following a call by the GMCH Nurses' Welfare Association in support of their long-pending demands.

Significantly, all the pre-planned surgeries were postponed. On average, about 35-40 surgeries take place in the hospital on a daily basis. Similarly, at the emergency wing of the hospital, about 10 surgeries are conducted every day. However, only three-four procedures could be done on Friday while the remaining had to be referred to PGIMER.

In fact, most of the patients who came in the morning to the emergency wing were sent to PGIMER directly. So much so that the patients who had come for minor procedures were also asked to come another day.

Many patients who had come from far-off places like Patiala, Rajpura, Ropar and Dera Bassi, who did not know about the strike, had to go back empty-handed.

The hospital authorities claimed that the hospital was managed efficiently as nursing students, interns and nursing superintendents were put on the job. "The hospital was managed efficiently. As such, there was no problem for the patients. We referred three patients to PGIMER. That too due to their medical condition," said Medical Superintendent Dr Vipin Kaushal.

However, the reality was different. "We are looking after the patients instead of the nurses. Each time a patient needs something, we have to call the doctor. Even for administering an injection, we are calling up the doctors. Normally, this is the job of the nurses," said a ward attendant on duty in one of the wards.

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