Contractual nurses criticize Health Minister a liar

--strike enters 7th day, hospital services affected

BHUBANESWAR: The All Odisha Contractual Nurses Association (AOCNA) on Saturday criticised the Health and Family Welfare Minister Prasanna Acharya calling him a liar for giving false media statement on Friday. Even the association argued that the State Government’s decision to regularise the contractual nurses after completion of six years of service contradicts the Apex court’s order which has stated earlier that three years experience needed to regularise an employee.

It may noted that on Friday Minister Acharya said that the proposal of regularising the services of the contractual nurses had been placed before the Finance Department so as to sanction for creation of equal number of contractual nursing sisters engaged in the Government Medical College Hospitals and periphery hospitals. But, actually he didn’t placed before the Finance Department on Friday alleged AOCNA president Gangadhar Panigrahy at a Press meet here on Saturday.

According to the AOCNA, 14,192 regular staff nurses are needed for the State according to the norms of the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS), but the State Government has employed only 3,523 nurses till date. For the employment of the rest 10,669 staff nurses the Central Government also provides 80 per cent financial help, but why the State Government is delaying to regularise only 2,204 nurses, questioned Panigrahy.

In an office memorandum of the Finance Department passed on March 14, 2001, The vacant posts of Doctors and Nurses in Primary Health Centres, Hospitals and Medical colleges may be filled up without seeking prior concurrence of Finance Department, but why the Health Minister have been saying that they are placing the contractual nurses’ regularisation file before Finance Department, Panigrahy questioned.

Panigrahy said the Health Minister failed to implement the order of the Chief Minister who had ordered earlier to employ 6,963 regular staff nurse. He lashed out at the Minister for fixing six years for the regularisation of services of contractual nurses where the Supreme Court has fixed the time limit in three year.

It is the legitimate right of the contractual nurses, why the State Government is delaying in the process, asked Panigrhy adding, “The dharna will continue till our demands are not fulfilled.”