Nurses who are supposed to dedicate their lives caring for the ailing humanity are themselves uncared for. Or so it seems watching them often take to the roads, seeking a better service structure, allied facilities and medical allowances. However, being leaderless, divided and disorganised, their protests often don’t bear fruit.

Last week too, there was a fresh episode of a 5-day sit-in under the banner of Young Nurses Association (YNA) in scorching heat on the Mall Road. This episode was marked by cracks in their rank and file and bureaucratic time-buying tactics.

During the recent unplanned demonstration in front of the Punjab Assembly, YNA laid down its demands -- promised service structure, regularisation of contractual nurses and competitive health risk allowances -- warning the high-ups that the demonstration may stretch to an indefinite period if the nurses do not get their rights.

The protest was followed by complete strike of nurses at emergencies, OPDs and wards in all government hospitals. Most surgical operations had to be postponed. To manage the situation, junior nurses and doctors attended the patients.

The government remained unmoved in the first two days of the sit-in. Later, it sprang into action and tried to convince the YNA leaders to call off the protest at the earliest. Soon, YNA spilt into groups and later dispersed in a clumsy way.

A major cause of this disunity was that one group insisted on continuing the sit-in until all demands were met while the other group pressed to return to their jobs believing in verbal commitments.

Blasting YNA and its sit-in, Parliamentary Secretary for Health Khawaja Imran Nazir says people have converted Mall Road into ‘Blackmail Road’. "Following others, nurses’ fraternity held protest congregation to exploit government’s kindness. About 18 months back, we benefited the nurses by appointing them on contract, ending their ad hoc status without letting them undergo the formalities of Public Service Commission," says Nazir. "Under the Essential Service Act, nurses are obliged to attend the patients instead of flooding and blocking the roads in protest."

Dr. Khurram, Secretary Information Young Doctors Association’s (YDA), supports the nurses’ stance and sit-in. "In the absence of nurses, young doctors worked in their place and cared for the patients more than their professional capacity."

According to Punjab Nursing Association (PNA) and Young Nurses Association (YNA), more than 25,000 nurses in Punjab in grade 17 have been awaiting promotion for over 28 years. Only grade 16 nurses are favoured, PNA states. The nurses’ body slams the government for halting the promotion of 300 instructors of nurses.

PNA lays bare the fact that around 2,000 staff nurses were recruited on three years contract "with the commitment to get them regularised later. But, no progress is in sight in this regard."

PNA general secretary and Nursing Teaching Association President Tauseef Khanam says, "Nurses are always at high risk of contracting infections during the course of medical care to patients. When swine flu and dengue epidemic broke out, scores of nurses fell sick or died. They deserve to be granted competitive Health Risk Allowance," she demands. However, she did appreciate some steps taken by the chief minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif for the welfare of nurses’ community.

According to sources in the Health Department, nurses had demanded Rs20,000 health risk allowance equal to the one granted to doctors under Professional Health Allowance. Government handed them over just Rs10,000 tagging it as mess and dress allowance after which nurses did not bother to stress on the Rs1500 health risk allowance.

Health secretary office claims that nurses have been enjoying ‘double salary’. "Nurses of grade 16 and grade 17 are getting Rs11,000 and Rs7500 respectively as additional allowances."

"The government also created 2,000 more seats in grade 17. 1800 nurses were promoted who had been awaiting due promotion for 20 years. As many as 500 nurses were appointed in grade 17. All steps are a part of improving service structure of nurses," says CM’s Health Advisor Khawaja Salman Rafiq.

He says the government has never denied facilities to nurses and is always ready to address their rightful grievances. "However, messing up with traffic by barricading roads and holding strikes and causing discomfort to patients cannot be justified on any ground."

Punjab Health Department PRO, Ikhlaq, says that a government hospital’s grade 16 nurse draws Rs40,000 salary against Rs20,000 salary of a private hospital’s nurse. "Secretary Health agreed to grant Rs1500 risk allowance but nurses’ groups backtracked. Granting Rs 20,000 health professional allowance will cost the government Rs5 billion and this it can’t afford."

YNA leader Deshawer, a staff nurse at the Mayo Hospital, lashed out at government’s conspiring role in nurses’ issues. "Apart from service structure and risk allowances, there are scores of issues. Toilets for nurses are either not there or are dysfunctional. Various hostel roofs have developed holes that leak when it rains and are a big nuisance. Long working hours, frequent day and night shifts, harassment, departmental exploitations are among the many problems we face," she says, exploding into tears.

Solution to all the problems lies in nurses’ unity, she says. She confides that "as YNA is not delivering, a new YNA pumped with new blood is in the making. The new YNA will take to roads if demands are not entertained in the coming days."