400 NIMS nurses to protest two hours a day till November 30

Hyderabad: Concerned over the suicide attempt by K. Nirmala Rani, for being denied elevation despite seniority, around 400 fellow-nurses at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) have decided to go on a two-hour protest every day till November 30. They warned that this could become an indefinite hunger strike from December 1, if their demands regarding promotions were not met.

Denied promotion, Nirmala Rani, a senior nurse of the hospital, after a heated argument with the hospital superintend N Sathyanarayanan had attempted to commit suicide in front of his office on Thursday by slashing her throat and wrist. She is recovering in the intensive care unit of the hospital.

Krishna T, Head Nurse of NIMS told NewsMeter “We have decided to go on strike for two hours a day till the end of this month. However, we shall ensure that no medical work would be disrupted due to the protest."

He added, “NIMS has appointed a special committee to look into the issue of Ms Rani. We are waiting for their decision, which, if not in her favour, we will go on an indefinite hunger strike from December 1.”

Nurses allege bias in promotion

General Secretary of NIMS Nurses Union, Vijaya Kumari , alleging bias in promotion, told NewsMeter, “Nirmala was told that the post of store manager, which she is to be promoted to, will be abolished shortly. She had given several representations to the superintendent regarding her promotion. But he refused to even meet her.”

Some employees allege that even after the formation of Telangana, discrimination continues with the top officials favouring people from Andhra Pradesh in spite of the fact that most of the senior officials belong to Telangana. The hospital authorities have not yet commented on the issue.

Nirmala has been working at the hospital for over a decade as a staff nurse. She wanted to shift to the administration side and even did a relevant course at the same place. When the management denied her a posting, she approached the High Court. A couple of years ago, the court dismissed her petition, ruling in favour of the hospital.

Mr Krishna said, “When there are qualified senior employees, the hospital authorities promote under-qualified staff. Many of them lack the required experience.”