Nurses are a formidable force in the medical sector, we have all the while been ignoring them

The elephant does not know its strength, so goes the saying. The nurses did not know their strength as yet. But they are consolidating their position now.

Earlier, the managements used to tinker with their fate basically because of the prevailing bond system and confiscation of their certificates. Now the moment it has been dispensed with following the directives from the Indian Nursing Council, the nurses have found a new-found energy to get an erroneous system corrected.

The latest strike was at Fortis Escorts Hospital, Delhi, but the stir has been settled within hours. The collective bargaining was for reinstatement of four nurses who were asked to resign for seeking enhanced wages on behalf of others.

Now when all of them rallied together in the fight, the managements acquiesced within hours.

Be it at Kothamangalam, Painkulam, Lakeshore, Amrita or elsewhere, the situation has been clear. The nurses have been taken advantage of by the managements which have no qualms to pay hefty sum to others, but not the nurses and para-medical staff.

Times have changed, and one must acknowledge the fact that the nursing care sector is the key component without which a hospital cannot be run. You cannot persecute the nurses anymore by paying measly sums. Let them be paid handsomely and let them live a life of honour.