Nurses and staff strike disrupts patient care

Patients at GMCH and district civil hospital wait for proper treatment

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Patient care at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) and District Civil Hospital was severely affected as nurses, class-III, and class-IV staff initiated an indefinite strike for their pending demands, including the implementation of the old pension scheme on Thursday.

At GMCH, where 645 out of 653 nurses and brothers, along with 400 out of 422 employees, are on strike, planned surgeries were delayed, causing a backlog in patient admissions. Approximately 10 to 15 scheduled surgeries are performed daily at GMCH, but due to the strike, these procedures were completed a day earlier, leaving newly admitted patients in need of surgery.

To mitigate the impact, nursing students took charge of patient care in various wards, although the situation prompted relatives to assist in transporting patients from stretchers. GMCH nurses raised their demands, joined by members of the Castribe Employees Welfare Federation Maharashtra State.

Patient care unaffected

According to additional civil surgeon Dr Padmaja Saraf, the administration assures that patient care remains unaffected during the strike. GMCH medical superintendent Dr Vijay Kalyankar mentioned that planned surgeries were rescheduled in advance, nursing students were mobilized, and patient care continued without significant disruptions.