Contractual nurses up ante, wear black badges

The agitating nurses were demanding regularisation of their services by abolishing contractual system, salary revision and removal of anomalies in nursing service cadres.

The nurses had resorted to cease work stir in November 2008 for three days paralysing health services in government hospitals here and elsewhere.

According to reports reaching here, the contractual nurses of Berhampur and Burla teaching hospitals too have resorted to similar strike by joining duty under protest.

We would continue protest for a week and after that we would take the next course of action, said contractual nurses association leader Anima Das.

The nurses said they have been seeking removal of contractual system since long and "every time we resort to strike the government comes out with an assurance that our demands would be looked upon immediately. Though each time we co-operated, the government backs out from its promise.