HC issues notices to nurses body, Odisha government

The Orissa High Court on Monday issued notices to the State Government and the All Odisha Contractual Nurses’ Association over the ceasework agitation by the nurses. The agitation has paralysed health services in the three medical college and hospitals and other major health institutions of the State.

 A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice V Gopalagowda and Justice SK Mishra directed additional Government advocate Bikram Nayak to inform the court on steps  taken by the Government to deal with the situation.

 The court, while issuing notice to the president of All India Contractual Nurses’ Association through a special messenger, has also directed the Chief Secretary, Health Secretary, superintendents of three medical colleges and Director of Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre to file their responses by Wednesday, the next date of hearing.

 The directions came in response to a PIL filed by Legal Support and Social Action (LESA) challenging the ceasework by the contractual nurses. It had appealed to the court to declare the strike illegal and  against public interest.

 The organisation secretary, Gadadhar Sahoo, stated before the court that the ongoing strike had heaped misery on the ailing public as health services in all the major hospitals were badly affected. While those, who can afford costly treatment, are flocking to private hospitals, the condition of poor patients, still seeking refuge in Government health institutions, is ‘intolerable’.

 Indicating other circumstances, the petitioner appealed to the court to direct the State Government to take stringent action against the striking nurses and take adequate measures to restore normalcy in the hospitals.

 Meanwhile, the High Court-appointed Advocates’ Committee on Monday visited the Sardar Vallavbhai Patel Post Graduate Institute of Paediatrics (SVPPGIP) or Sishu Bhawan to take stock of the situation in view of complaints of negligence in treatment due to the nurses’ strike.

 The committee, led by amicus curiae PR Das, noted that health services were affected to a large extent. But the hospital authorities are trying their best to manage the situation with available resources. Routine surgeries have been deferred and only emergency ones are being conducted. The emergencies are managed by the doctors whose duty hours have been extended. The nursing students brought in to fill the shortages are working under direct guidance of doctors and senior nurses, Das said.