COVID-19: Nurses Association writes to Union health Minister, AIIMS director over working conditions
Jun 07, 2020
New Delhi [India], June 7 : The Nurses Association has written a letter to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and AIIMS director regarding concerns and issues of nurses not being addressed by the AIIMS administration, especially those on COVID-19 duty.
The association alleged that nurses on Covid 19 duty have been asked to work extra hours and there is no food/water, transportation made available to the nurses.
They also claim if the working conditions continue to be like this more nurses will fall ill and get infected with virus.
The letter read, "We at Trained Nurses Association of India (TNAI) are aggrieved to understand that the many genuine grievances of nurses at AIIMS taken up by AIIMS Nurses Union remain unattended despite regular, periodic representations and meeting with institute authorities. This is very unfortunate and deplorable."
"Nurses at AIIMS have a history of working on toes with unstinted dedication whenever the conditions so warranted. What they expect is a sympathetic hearing and an amicable resolution to their legitimate demands and concerns," the letter read.
It read, "Assigning nurses to serve extra hours for hard COVID 19 duty in day hours besides 12 hours night shift without any necessary facilities for rest, transport and food/water is not only against the existing norms but also fraught with serious health implications for the health of nurses.
"It is also inhuman in the existing extreme hot climate and is liable to attract legal provisions. Moreover, it will definitely lead to more nurses falling ill leading to a shortage of nurses for patient care in the time of an increasing number of COVID cases in the country," the letter read.
"We humbly urge you to take this issue with the highest priority and do the needful to protect our nursing officers and to avoid any protest or non-cooperation from aggrieved nurses. We at TNAI have strongly advocated for the welfare of the nurses for over a hundred years and on behalf of the entire nurses of AIIMS, we kindly request your immediate attention and favourable action," the letter added.
