more-in The nursing students in Kozhikode and Kannur districts under the aegis of the Student Nurses’ Association (SNA) and the United Student Nurses’ Association visited the protesting nurses on Tuesday and expressed solidarity with them. The SNA, affiliated to the Trained Nurses’ Association of India (TNAI), has refused to cooperate with the attempt to deploy them in place of the protesting nurses in private hospitals. They demanded that the order be revoked. However, Kozhikode District Medical Officer (Health) Asha Devi said no arrangements had been done so far to deal with the strike. Meanwhile, the Indian Medical Association (IMA)-Kerala has supported the nurses’ demand, even while rooting for the survival of rural hospitals. “The nurses have a right to protest and demand higher wages. The proposed higher wages may not be a huge problem for big and corporate hospitals. On the other hand, rural hospitals and polyclinics will not survive the situation,” said IMA State president V.G. Pradeep Kumar. The IMA’s suggestion is to protect the hospitals with less than 100 beds by not forcing them to comply with the increased wages. However, the United Nurses Association (UNA) did not agree with the suggestion. “Hospitals with fewer beds have lower staff strength. The wage burden on them will be lesser,” said UNA district general secretary Suhaib Vannarath.

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