PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
The unemployed nursing graduates from across the State, united under the banner of Nursing Ekta Manch (NEM), marched towards the residence of Health minister Dhan Singh Rawat on Thursday to press the State government to accept their unaddressed demands. The police, however, blocked them as they had set up barricades along the route to the minister’s residence. Alongside the unemployed nursing graduates, Congress leader Harak Singh Rawat and Uttarakhand Mahila Congress president Jyoti Rautela walked in the march in support of the agitators’ demands.
Importantly, the unemployed nursing graduates have been staging a sit-in for their unresolved demands for several days at Ekta Vihar. Recently, they had attempted a march towards the CM’s residence to highlight their unmet demands, but police had intercepted them with barricades. To escalate their protest, the graduates redirected their march to the Health minister’s residence on Thursday. As tensions rose, police detained Harak Singh Rawat.
The NEM president, Naval Pundir said that after police had stopped them a few steps away from the Health minister’s residence, they staged demonstrations for two hours. Subsequently, police transported them back to Ekta Vihar, their designated protest area. Pundir emphasised that their protest would continue until the State government acts positively on their demands.
Notably, with many unemployed nursing graduates participating in the protest, functioning of some private hospitals is being affected. According to sources, OPD and ward services have slowed down due to a shortage of nursing staff in various hospitals, leading to delays in patient care and interrupting the daily functions of medical facilities.
Notably, the unemployed nursing graduates’ demands include the need for transparency in the recruitment process. They assert that selections should be based on the year-wise seniority of candidates who have completed their qualifying examinations. They are also calling for the immediate closure of the examination portal and the recruitment of over 2,500 nursing positions each year in accordance with the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS).
