Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Apr 8: The nurses working across Jammu and Kashmir today voiced their concerns regarding the recent incidents where around 250 staff nurses were terminated demanded that the Govt should provide them risk allowances.
In a letter that the J&K Nurses Association has written to the Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education, the Association has demanded the cancellation of termination order of almost 250 staff nurses, recruited under SRO-24 of 2019
They have also demanded reimbursement of one day salary deducted in the month of March and to discontinue the same in the future. Also the endowment of risk allowances to Nurses of JK UT in similitude to other high-risk departments.
“With reference to the above mentioned subject Staff Nurses recruited under SRO-24 of 2019 in newly established five Medical Colleges of Jammu and Kashmir UT have been terminated amid COVID-19 without any prior notice,” the letter reads, adding that it is “…illegal and unethical at the time when HCW’s are being hired globally even retired HCW’s to fight this pandemic.”
The letter said that the Staff Nurses are skilled and well trained to fight this pandemic rather allowing unskilled students to takeover, “further intensifying the spread of COVID-19 and risking the lives of students in particular and community in general,” the letter read.
The Association has said that furthermore, “this step of yours is discouragement to entire Nursing profession when the morale is low enough.”
They have expressed their disappointment on the deduction of one day salary by the GAD. “When the community held the Nursing profession in high esteem because the service they provide on forefront the GAD ordered to deduct one day equivalent salary disappointing those risking their lives,” the letters adds.
Voicing another concern, the letter said that many nurses (about 26 in Mumbai’s wockhardt hospital) across India have been tested positive for COVID-19 even along with their family members.
“In Union Territory of J&K, one Nurse in Kashmir Division has already tested positive for Corona virus disease. In such a grave situation when the entire world faces shortage of Personal protection equipment (PPE), it is high time to mention that risk allowances must be announced for all HCW’s across UT of J&K,” the letter said.
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