Nurses’ protest for regularisation of jobs enters Day 2 in Coimbatore

COIMBATORE: Nurses working on consolidated pay at state government medical facilities in Coimbatore continued their protest for the second day on Saturday, demanding regularisation of their services, apart from other additional benefits.

In Coimbatore district, around 200 nurses from Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH), government hospitals, and primary health centres have been engaged in a wait-in protest at the CMCH since Friday evening. They alleged that they have been on contract for the past 10 years and have been unable to access any benefits, including maternity leave with pay. “We were selected through the Tamil Nadu Medical Recruitment Board in 2015, with the promise of service regularisation within two years.

The DMK government also assured us during the Assembly elections that our jobs would be regularised once they come to power. However, no action has been taken to address our demands. Since 2015, the government has recruited many nurses, but over 8,000 remain without job confirmation. We put in maximum effort during the Covid-19 pandemic and were recognized as heroes, but now we feel neglected. Despite our dedication in caring for patients, we are not compensated or provided benefits on par with government employees,” said a protesting nurse.

R Ramalakshmi, president of the Tamil Nadu Nurses Empowerment Association’s Coimbatore district wing, said more than 200 nurses are participating in the ongoing protest, impacting medical services throughout the district.

Many of the protesting nurses are participating with their children and are struggling due to the cold at night. Other government employee associations have expressed their support for the protest and have provided necessary arrangements for the participants, sources said.