‘Unlawful’ sackings: Nurses to sit-in in front of CM’s House today

Negotiation attempts went in vain after eight-hour long sit in by YNA.

LAHORE:

The Young Nurses’ Association (YNA) has called for a sit-in in front of the Chief Minister’s House at 7-Club Road on Tuesday (today) to press for its demands.

The announcement came on Monday after negotiations between the government and the YNA remained unsuccessful.

The protesting nurses had been sitting in front of the Lahore Press Club for over eight hours on Monday.

Talking to The Express Tribune, YNA president Rozeena Manzoor said the nurses were protesting against the Health Department for firing nurses who had been working on contract or on ad-hoc basis. She claimed that the nurses had been fired from service ‘without a reason’ despite a shortage of nurses.

Earlier, the nurses rallied from Mayo Hospital to Lahore Press Club, where they sat for eight hours. They carried placards and banners with slogans condemning the government over the sackings.

Manzoor said, “The government has shown a very inconsiderate attitude towards our problems and our demands. Our eight-hour protest has been in vain …Now, we will go sit in front of the Chief Minister’s House, hoping the chief minister would listen to us.”

A Young Doctors’ Association (YDA) delegation, led by Dr Amir Bandesha, also joined the nurses.

“We have come to show solidarity with the YNA. Their demands are justified …The government should resolve the issues at the earliest,” he said.

He said it was regrettable that nurses, who served people, had been forced to take to the streets.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Punjab president Ejaz Chaudhry, too, paid a short visit to the Lahore Press Club and joined the sit-in. Advocating the nurses’ cause, he said it was sad that daughters of the nation were protesting on roads, but the government had paid no attention to them.

The nursing director general visited the protest, but could not persuade the nurses to give up the agitation.

Traffic around Davis Road and Egerton Road remained blocked during the sit-in.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 11^th, 2014.