Staff of major Delhi hospitals on strike

New Delhi: Nurses and medical staff in five Delhi hospitals are on a day strike on Tuesday.

Group C and D staff of five major hospitals in the Capital -- Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan, Guru Nayak Eye Centre, Mulana Azad Medical and Dental College and G. B. Pant Hospital observed a 24-hour strike starting 6:00 am on Tuesday.

In a show of solidarity, employees and staff nurses of other Delhi Government hospitals, including Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, Guru Gobind Singh and Lady Hardinge, will observe “Black Day” on Tuesday and hold a protest demonstration in the hospital premises during lunch hour.

The employees are asking for vacant posts in the hospitals to be filled, permanency for privately employed workers and free medical facilities.

The employees had warned about the strike earlier stating that the Government was not paying any attention to their longstanding demands. Members of the group said despite reminders the Government had not taken their problems seriously.

“We have been forced to take such a tough stand and though we are aware of the fact that the common man will have to bear the brunt of the decision there is little that we can do about it. We also want to state that in case the Government is still not serious about providing us relief, we will have to intensify our agitation,” said Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Hospital Workers’ Union president, Dharamvir Bhardwaj.

(With agency inputs)