Hyderabad's Gandhi Hospital nurse, contractual employees go on indefinite strike for better salary

Hundreds of nurses and outsourced staff, including sanitary and security workers, at the government-run Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad went on an indefinite strike on Wednesday, July 15, to demand better facilities and remunerations. Gandhi Hospital is a designated Covid-19 hospital.

The indefinite strike began after four days of protest by the contract employees to press for their demands, including regularisation of services and salary hikes.

The strike impacted the outpatient services and caused severe inconvenience to patients at the hospital, designated the Centre of Excellence for COVID care wherein critical cases are treated.

Contractual nursing staff were the first to raise their voice. Over 200 nurses have been demanding hike in salaries and regularisation of services.

The protesting nurses say that their demand is justified as they are risking their lives to render services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

5 contract nurses infected with coronavirus

Five contract nurses were recently found infected with coronavirus while discharging their duties.

Many nurses say they were appointed on contract basis in 2007 and are still paid Rs 17,000 per month while those appointed in 2018 were drawing salaries of over Rs 25,000.

Representatives of the protesting nurses had met Health Minister Eatala Rajender on Sunday but the talks failed to end the deadlock.

Sanitary and security staff working on contract basis also joined the nurses in the protest, demanding hike in wages.

Gandhi Hospital has seen a series of protests by different sections of the employees over the last three months.

Junior doctors had also staged a protest on two occasions against attacks by the relatives of COVID patients.

However, this is not the first time when health workers in Telangana have come out to protest. Earlier, junior doctors of Gandhi Hospital held a protest when relatives of a Covid-19 patient attacked them following his death. Doctors resumed their duties after three days of protest and an assurance from the state government.

(With agency inputs)