Government turns a blind eye to these Corona Warriors

Mysore/Mysuru: The protest by trainee staff nurses for hike in their honorarium and other demands entered tenth day yesterday, with the Government turning a blind eye towards them and yet to respond to their grievances.

The trainee staff nurses of K.R. Hospital and Cheluvamba Hospital, numbering about 150, are staging protest since 10 days by wearing black arm bands and serving the patients. They have been demanding for increase in their honorarium, job security and basic facilities.

These Corona Warriors have been serving since 8 to 10 years for an honorarium of Rs. 10,000 and are considered as staff nurses. They said that it was very difficult to lead a normal life with the paltry honorarium they were getting and demanded that they be considered as ‘Contract Nurses’ or ‘Permanent Nurses.’ They also demanded a hike in their monthly honorarium, residential quarters and other basic facilities.

The protesting nurses demanded protective equipment be provided to them as they have been deployed to COVID Wards and warned of resigning en masse if their demands were not met. 

Trainee staff nurses Vinod, Chandrashekar, Kumar, Raghu, Ramakrishna, Shivanna, Bhagya, Anitha and others were among the protesting nurses.