Pune: Sassoon General Hospital Prepares for Nurses Strike to Ensure Uninterrupted Patient Care
Pune, 14th December 2023: In anticipation of the government employee strike scheduled to begin on December 14, the Dean of Byramjee Jeejeebhoy (BJ) Government Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital Dr Vinayak Kale conducted a meeting with professors and Heads of Departments. The meeting focused on providing instructions and planning for the potential strike impact on Class 1, 2, 3, and 4 employees under the institution.
On December 14, nurses from the Maharashtra State Nurses Association (MSNA), including 1,000 from Sassoon General Hospital (SGH), Pune, are set to initiate an indefinite strike, affecting approximately 40,000 nurses across state government hospitals. Demands include ending nurse contractual appointments, preserving previous pension plan benefits, raising the retirement age to 60, converting contractual nurses to full-time positions, and urgently filling vacant nursing positions to address increased workloads. The strike persists until these demands, crucial for maintaining care standards, are met.
During the meeting, Dr Kale emphasized the need for proper planning in case of a strike, instructing professors and department heads to maintain records of patients, especially those requiring Medicolegal Certificates (MLC). The hospital matron of Sassoon General Hospital was directed to ensure the deployment of nursing students in essential areas to guarantee uninterrupted patient care.
To coordinate the duties of doctors in clinical and non-clinical departments and prevent any disruption in patient care, Dean Dr Kale instructed heads of clinical departments to collaborate during the strike period. A subsequent meeting held on December 13 at 3 pm involved the Dean, Medical Superintendent, and Assistants, confirming that patient services in outpatient and inpatient departments, including NICU, MICU, TICU, and the accident department, were operating smoothly.
Dr Kale announced plans to present the institution’s demands to the government during a meeting with nursing associations on December 13. Urging staff nurses to continue working in essential areas, Dr Vinayak Kale assured that patient care in the hospital would be maintained during the strike.
To implement this plan, 204 nursing students, including 118 from the Nursing College, 14 from Symbiosis College of Nursing, 63 from Bharti University, and 9 from MIMH Sassoon, were assigned to three shifts. The Dean, Medical Superintendent, and Assistant Adjudicator conducted rounds on the morning of December 14, confirming the availability of manpower as planned and the smooth running of patient care without any issues.
