RIMS nurses on strike, health care services affected
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, May 26 2014:
All services in the premier medical institute of the region here have come to a halt from today following the cease work strike launched by RIMS Nurses' Association, Lamphelpat charging Director Dr Shekharjit with superseding seniority list in promotion of some nurses.
Meanwhile, Prof Sekharjit has appealed to the striking nurses to call off the stir in the interest of the patients.
Wearing black badges, members of RIMS Nurses' Association started their cease work strike from morning.
As a consequence, normal health care services in the premier medical institute remained affected.
Earlier, the agitating nurses gathered at the hospital compound and took out a protest rally up to the Administrative Block of the hospital.
From there, they moved to the office of the RIMS Medical Superintendant.
There, they met Medical Superintendent, Prof M Amuba in his office, but the meeting failed to bring any breakthrough.
A leader of the Nurses' association told reporters that the RIMS authority has rejected the norms for promotion which is given on the basis of seniority and instead it has introduced a system of their own convenience.
On the other hand, RIMS Director Prof Sekharjit insisted that people who are working in essential service sectors are not allowed to indulge in any type of strike and appealed to the RIMS Nurses' Association, Lamphelpat to withdraw their stir.
RIMS authority is always ready to implement all legitimate demands, he assured, but clarified that the promotion norms based on seniority was changed after the introduction of the reservation system for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes by the Government of India since 2007 .
The same system introduced by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India has been implemented by RIMS since the hospital is run under the supervision of the Centre.
So, RIMS authority has no hand in the process of giving promotion to nurses working with the hospital, he said.
He also warned that RIMS authority has the power to take disciplinary action against the striking nurses.