3 months ago
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As the indefinite onslaught by nurses affiliated with the United Nurses Association (UNA) entered its 2nd time connected Tuesday (March 10, 2026), backstage hospitals successful Kerala are facing an unenviable situation. Functioning of cardinal departments successful immoderate of the large institutions successful districts specified arsenic Kozhikode has been severely affected and the patients are near successful the lurch.
According to sources, galore hospitals are present refusing to admit patients citing deficiency of required nursing staff. Services successful departments specified arsenic exigency care, captious care, and neonatal attraction person been hit. Efforts to displacement the patients to authorities hospitals appeared to person failed. Doctors are expressing their helplessness and are trying to negociate the situation. Surgeries different than those successful the exigency class are being postponed.
The UNA had been conducting agitations seeking a amended wage bundle and different benefits for the past fewer weeks. They resorted to a onslaught connected March 4, with main request to person a basal wage of ₹40,000. Though the State authorities issued a draught notification revising their basal wage operation thereafter, the UNA began its indefinite onslaught connected March 9 claiming that immoderate of the managements are not consenting to instrumentality the caller wage structure. On Tuesday arsenic well, the UNA members staged a ‘dharna’ extracurricular the Kozhikode collectorate.
However, the infirmary managements are reportedly devising their ain plans to tide implicit the crisis. Addressing the media, Kerala Private Hospital Management Association president Hussain Koya Thangal said that the onslaught was amerciable arsenic the UNA had not served 14 days anterior announcement earlier launching the protest. He alleged that the UNA had been trying for a wage hike portion playing with the lives of patients. Mr. Thangal besides urged the State authorities to invoke provisions of the Essential Services Maintenance Act against the striking nurses. If the unauthorised lack of the nursing unit continued to paralyse the services of hospitals, the respective institutions would instrumentality due enactment against them, helium added.
However, functionaries of the UNA, specified arsenic its nationalist president Jasminsha, told the media that it was the managements that were playing with the lives of the hapless patients. He claimed that of the 490-odd backstage hospitals successful the State, a bulk had travel to an knowing with the UNA implicit the revised wage structure. Only astir 100, including immoderate large corporate-run hospitals, were not acceptable to motion an agreement. He besides alleged that the managements were appointing nurses connected a regular wage of ₹2,000 to woody with the strike. The UNA was lone asking a regular wage of astir ₹1,300, Mr. Jasminsha said.
