Bhubaneswar: The nursing officers’ strike in Odisha has brought healthcare services to a grinding halt, particularly in Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar, and SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack. Patients and their families are bearing the brunt of the cease-work agitation called by the Odisha Nursing Employees’ Association (ONEA).
According to sources, the cease-work agitation began on Friday in support of a 10-point charter of demands, including the regularization of contractual workers and the elimination of the outsourcing system.
With around 15,000 nurses from state-run medical colleges, district headquarters hospitals, and other hospitals participating in the agitation, the healthcare system is reeling under significant crisis.
Capital Hospital, one of the oldest and most prestigious medical institutions in the state, is among those affected. The Capital Hospital is facing a severe staff crunch as 131 nursing staff members out of 181 are on strike, leaving only 50 nurses to attend to patients. As a result, hospital authorities are being forced to turn away patients, postpone non-emergency surgeries and limit admissions to only emergency cases, revealed sources.
Moreover, struggling to provide patient care due to nursing staff shortage, Capital Hospital authorities have to rely on pharmacists and trainee nurses. Emergency OT services are available, but elective OT services have been halted. The hospital’s deputy superintendent meanwhile revealed that critical patients are being referred to private hospitals.
Starting from the state’s premier childcare hospital, Sishu Bhawan, Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre and SCB Medical College and Hospital, healthcare services have been severely impacted across various government health centres throughout the districts. Many hospitals are now operating with trainee nurses, said sources.
The strike has severely impacted critical care services, including emergency surgeries and intensive care units. With nursing staff absent, hospitals are struggling to maintain basic patient care.
“I was supposed to undergo surgery today, but now it’s uncertain. The hospital is referring us to private hospitals, but we can’t afford the expenses”, said a worried patient.
