Coimbatore Medical College Hospital nurses join statewide protest over pay, service demands

Coimbatore: To press for the resolution of their long-pending grievances related to service conditions, employment and pay, more than 100 nurses at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) joined a statewide protest on Thursday.

As part of the agitation, the nurses boycotted work for nearly an hour in the morning and staged a protest on the hospital premises. According to the news reports, they reiterated their demands for regularisation of service, equal pay for equal work, filling vacant nursing posts and adequate staffing based on workload in government hospitals.

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Contract nurses also called for permanent employment and wage parity with regular nurses performing similar duties.

CMCH, one of the major government hospitals serving patients from Coimbatore and neighbouring districts, has 270 sanctioned nursing posts. According to the latest audit data, 259 posts are occupied, while 11 remain vacant.

The nurses said the agitation would continue for three days. They urged the govt to initiate discussions with their representatives and resolve their demands without affecting the delivery of healthcare services to patients, reports TOI.

Medical Dialogues had previously reported that protests erupted at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) on Saturday as temporary contract staff employed in housekeeping and security services demanded timely payment of their salaries. The workers, hired through the private agency Krystal Group, gathered in front of the dean’s office to voice their grievances on Saturday, citing repeated delays in salary disbursement over the past three months. A total of 707 contract workers are currently deployed at CMCH— including 558 in housekeeping and patient care, 125 in security, and others in supervisory roles. Housekeeping staff are paid Rs 19,700 per month, while supervisors receive Rs 19,100 per month.

Also Read:Coimbatore Medical College Hospital contract staff protest over salary delays