Kerala: Nurses' stir off as collector Mir Muhammed Ali budges

Kannur: The United Nurses Association and the Students’ Nurses’ Association have called off their agitation against the district administration demanding withdrawal of its recent order to depute nursing students in the wake of the nurses agitation.  Conciliation talks were held between district collector Mir Muhammed Ali and the leaders of various nurses and nursing student organizations on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the strike of the Indian Nurses Association in 21 hospitals of Kannur and Kasargod districts is still on.

Mr Mohammed Ali said at the meeting that he would not force nursing students to work. But he added that the nursing students should cater to the needs of the parent institution under which they are studying, which the nursing students accepted. Only in case of any emergency their help would be sought, the Collector said and added that no disciplinary steps would be initiated against the students for participating in the agitation.

The district collector was under pressure from various quarters including from political leaders of both fronts, to settle the agitation amicably. The students of Pariyaram Medical College and AKG hospital had joined the agitation putting the CPM in a fix.