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Journalism of Courage
The PGIMER Nurses Welfare Association has threatened to go on a protest by wearing black badges to work, from July 25 and 27, if their demands are not met by the hospital authorities. The association has given this ‘final ultimatum’ in a letter penned to the director of the institute on Monday.
The Association members state that they have written a slew of letters to the administration regarding their concerns over the new quarantine and testing guidelines for healthcare workers issued by the hospital in the past few days but have received no reply from the authorities which has driven them to make such an ultimatum.
The association’s main demand is regarding the withdrawal of new guidelines suggesting updated regulations for quarantining of healthcare staff at PGIMER, which gives nurses a period of five days to quarantine themselves post their duty in the Covid-19 ward. Furthermore, these five days of quarantine will have to be taken out of their monthly quota nine leaves, while earlier nurses were allowed to quarantine for seven days post their Covid-19 duty. These seven days were also not counted as part of their regular leave days.
The nurses are also demanding the implementation of an order issued by the hospital in May, 2019, which increased their pay benefits in accordance with the sixth pay commission. “This order was retracted by PGIMER on July 17 because they were under pressure by higher authorities,” alleges Vinod Kumar, a nursing office of PGIMER and Vice President of another faction of the Nursing Union at PGIMER. Meanwhile, PGIMER had in their July 17 order stated that the pay fixation has been kept in abeyance till the time they receive a clarification from the central government
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