Punjab government invokes ESMA as nursing staff’s strike hits health ops at 3 med colleges
The nursing staff body, United Nurses Association of Punjab, remained adamant on their demands and asserted that the strike will continue.
The Punjab government has invoked the East Punjab Essential Services (Maintenance) Act (ESMA) to end the nursing staff strike at the government medical colleges.
The nursing staff body, United Nurses Association of Punjab, remained adamant on their demands and asserted that the strike will continue.
The main demand of the protesters is that they were being paid a meagre salary of ₹29,000 per month under the current ₹2,800 pay grade. They are demanding an upgrade to a ₹4,600 pay grade, which would raise their salary to nearly ₹44,900 per month.
Striking nursing staff have been directed to immediately resume duty or face strict action. The order, issued by the principal secretary, medical education and research, on Saturday, stated that the indefinite strike, which began on September 25, had “seriously hampered delivery of essential health services, including OPD, ICU, NICU, PICU, OTs, post-operative care, and ward management” across the government medical colleges in Patiala, Amritsar, and Mohali.
The indefinite strike has already disrupted the routine healthcare services in Punjab’s three major government teaching hospitals, though emergency services have not been affected so far.
The order emphasised the seriousness of the crisis and justified the invocation of the act. The order reads: “Whereas, the State of Punjab is currently grappling with one of the worst flood disasters in decades, impacting numerous villages and affecting lakhs of people, and the Government Medical Colleges and their attached hospitals are functioning as key referral centres for treatment of the affected population, with a large number of patients suffering from flood-related ailments and emergencies, the staff are not on duty. Therefore, they should immediately join their duties.”
The principal secretary further warned: “Any violation of this order shall attract strict penal provisions under the said Act. This order shall come into force at once.
“… Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 4(1) of the East Punjab Essential Services (Maintenance) Act, 1947, the State Government hereby directs that all Nursing Staff and other essential medical personnel working in Government Medical Colleges and Hospitals in Punjab shall join their duties with immediate effect and shall not absent themselves from duty, leave their place of posting, or refuse to perform their duties, until further orders,” the notification read.
Speaking at the protest site outside Government Rajindra Hospital, Aarti Bali, president, United Nurses Association of Punjab, said, “We are not against work, but our contribution cannot be ignored any longer. We want the government to recognise our services and give us the pay grade we deserve.”
Punjab medical education minister Dr Balbir Singh could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.
