Nurses’ strike hits in-patient, emergency services at private hospitals in Kozhikode

Kozhikode: The indefinite strike by nurses, under the banner of United Nurses Association (UNA), has severely hit the in-patient and emergency services in several private hospitals in Kozhikode. Major hospital such as Aster MIMS and Baby Memorial Hospital (BMH) have postponed surgeries and even the functioning of emergency section has been affected. An official of a super-speciality hospital said that they were discharging patients and not taking new inpatient admissions. "We are somehow providing basic emergency care and then referring patients to other hospitals where beds are available, as inpatient admissions have been stopped. ICUs are also unable to admit new cases," said the head of the emergency care department at a private hospital. Meanwhile, UNA leader Jasmine Shah said they it was the stubborn stand by corporate hospital managements that was responsible for the situation. He said that UNA had informed hospital authorities that nurses would continue to care for patients currently admitted at BMH if the management provided a written request. However, he said hospital managements were insisting that the strike be called off. Hospital managements have approached the district collector and the district medical officer seeking arrangements to ensure treatment for patients arriving for emergency care and to facilitate shifting patients to the govt medical college hospital (MCH) if the strike continues. Several patients discharged from private hospitals have already sought treatment at MCH and the Beach Hospital, leading to increased rush at those hospitals. Meanwhile the protesting nurses continued their sit-in strike before the collectorate and also in front of some private hospitals.