Andhra Pradesh: Nurses' Protest for Regularisation of Contract Jobs Enters Sixth Day

Visakhapatnam: Contract nurses across Visakhapatnam hospitals have been protesting for six days, demanding the regularisation of their jobs. Organised by the Nurses' Struggle Committee, the strike began after a government order (G.O.) issued on September 4 favoured 2,112 Sachivalayam ANMs, ignoring experienced contract nurses who served during the COVID-19 pandemic.

K. Surya Kala, a member of the Nurses' Struggle Committee, and other leaders warned that they would halt the counselling process for appointing ANMs as staff nurses if their demands are not met by September 11. They also threatened to escalate the protests statewide if the government fails to address their grievances.

The nurses urged the government to cancel G.O. 115, issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department. They criticised the previous government’s decision to train ANMs as Multi-Purpose Health Workers (MPHW), arguing that ANMs cannot provide the same level of care as those with nursing degrees, postgraduate qualifications, or PhDs, despite their training. The nurses expressed hope in the alliance government and Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu to resolve their concerns.