The indefinite strike by nurses in the capital that began on Friday was called off on Saturday evening after the reaching a compromise with the central government.
The strike was called off late in the night on Saturday after a four-hour meeting between All India Government Nurses’ Federation and Union Health Ministry officials. The nurses were promised that their demands will be put before the Union Ministry of Finance on September 12. They have also been given the assurance that those who skipped work today and on Friday will not be penalised. The two days would be considered as leave, the nurses were told.
Earlier, the Delhi government had threatened to lodge FIRs under Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) against those who stayed off from work. There was also the threat of arrest and termination of service, especially because the capital has been going through a health crisis with dengue and Chikungunya looming large.
Patients and the government can breathe easy now, but Saturday was definitely a nightmare. Most hospitals said that while emergency services, including surgeries, were managed well with extra deployment of doctors and contractual nurses, routine surgeries remained nearly stalled.
