Srinagar, Sept 2: In a bid to end indefinite strike over the implementation of triple shift system in the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Institute Soura, the hospital management on Wednesday suspended three nurses. It warned about taking stringent action against the employees if they didn’t call of the strike.  
 Nearly 2500 nurses and paramedics have been on strike for past three days against revival of the triple shift system.  While the SKIMS management claims that the new system would improve patient care and bring the institute at par with All India Institute of Medical Sciences and Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education  and Research,  the striking employees maintain that the system would be futile unless the basic facilities including transportation were upgraded.
  The director SKIMS, Abdul Hamid Zargar told Greater Kashmir that revival of the system was imperative for better patient care and staff management.
 “We’ll be implementing the system at any cost. The people and the striking staff need to understand that the system is mandatory for overall development of SKIMS,” he said adding nearly 80 per cent of the nursing and paramedic staff was working normally.  “Only a small section of staff is trying to hamper smooth functioning of the hospital,” Zargar said. He warned stringent action against the striking employees.
 “For their vested interests, we won’t allow anybody to dictate terms to us. They have to behave like employees not as dictators. We have suspended three contractual nurses and if the other staff doesn’t resume their jobs, we would be compelled to take stringent action against them also,” Zargar said.
 The SKIMS Non-Gazetted Employees Welfare Association accused the hospital management of highhandedness. “Instead of initiating negotiations with us, the hospital management is resorting to victimization. On its instance, we were manhandled by the police and CRPF today,” the Association’s president, Din Muhammad said.
 He maintained that the Association was not against the new system. “But before its implementation, the management has to provide proper accommodation and transportation facilities to nurses and paramedics. Where would the nurses go after evening shifts in absence of these facilities?” he said.
 He maintained that the Association was aware of problems being faced by patients’. “We have excluded the important sections including causality and radiology from the strike. We are on token strike only. Ironically, the management is trying to blow the issue out of proportion to mislead the government,” he added.
 Din strongly refuted claims of the management that the nurses and paramedics worked in private clinics during their off days.
 “If it is true, then the management should take action against them. We will support the move,” he added.
 Meanwhile, the patients admitted at SKIMS faced lot of inconvenience due to strike. “In the fight between the staff and SKIMS management ultimately the patients suffer. Government should bring a law to ban strikes in hospitals,” said the attendants of most patients

Lastupdate on : Wed, 2 Sep 2009 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 2 Sep 2009 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 3 Sep 2009 00:00:00 IST