BS RAWAT

Around 84 nurses at the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Centenary (HAHC) Hospital in New Delhi had their services terminated for allegedly raising concern over the improper working conditions at the facility.

“The hospital is not giving proper PPE kits and N-95 masks for nurses, no proper arrangements of donning and doffing area like washroom for nurses, a very hot environment, causing nurses to vomit, faint and have frequent headaches and no drinking water for the staff nurses,” said a nurse who was fired by the hospital.

The hospital, located in Hamdard Nagar, currently has 200 beds assigned for Covid patients, as per the Delhi government’s corona app.

“We have been assigned to work for 13-14 hours every day. Most of our staff have fallen ill. It is very difficult to wear PPE kits for long. There are no health policies for the staff nurses who are posted in Covid-19 department,” added a staff member.

“Even our full salaries are not being paid by the management. Some of us didn’t even receive our salary. A high-risk allowance is provided to healthcare workers in other hospitals, but we are not provided with that. We have also raised the issue of poor PPE kits. These were our demands, but instead of addressing them, the administration decided to terminate our services,” the nurse noted.

Jiju P Joy, president of the Indian Professional Nurses Association, has sought the intervention of the Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and regretted such treatment meted out to Covid warriors.