GHERAO OF NURSING SUPERINTENDENT BY THE NURSES OF RAIGUNJ

By Partha Chatterjee (TNI Raigunj) ~ Edited By R. Subrata (TNI Siliguri)

Webdesk, TNI Raigunj, 1st September, 2015: The nursing staffs of Raigunj hospital today surrounded the Nursing Superintendent of Raigunj District Hospital in the demand of night security, toilet facilities etc. There was no night duty of the nurses during the night hours at the hospital till date. The duty hours of the nurses were spread over from 8 am in the morning to 2 pm in the afternoon. Another shift started from 2 pm and continued up to 8 pm in the evening. This has caused a major problem for the patients especially the emergency patients during the night hours because there was no one to attend. Keeping this context from 24th of August the Patient Welfare Committee decided to extend the duty of the one of the nurses per ward to do their duty during the night hours. A roster has been sent by the Nurse Superintendent to the Hospital Super in this regard. The tension broke out after then. According to the nurses there are no security arrangement present in the hospital during the night hours, the number of attendants are also not adequate during the night hours, absence of proper toilet facilities for the nurses are there, absence of sweepers in the hospital etc. Above all there are no proper facilities for the nurses to stay in the hospital during the night hours. Henceforth, the nurses demanded that till the time those facilities are started and the problem solved the nurses cannot perform duties during the night hours. The Hospital super said that during the night hours the officer in charge has agreed to send 1 woman constable and two policemen with guns in the hospital for security. However, when asked about the absence of staffs and other facilities demanded by the nursing staff, he passed on the reasons to the higher authorities.