Mokokchung, November 13 (MTNews): The Department Recruited Aggrieved Nurses’ (DRAN) 2021 observed a day of fasting and prayer at the Secretariat Junction, Kohima on Sunday where it has been protesting since November 9.
An update from DRAN 2021 also stated that they would continue their 2nd phase of agitation, for which they observed Sunday as a day of prayer and fasting to give them strength to carry forward their demand.
As per the release, the nurses prayed for their well-wishers and the concerned authorities “who are responsible for creating this mess” in their appointment. They also prayed that the concerned authorities honour the Cabinet Memo of July 5, 2020 and the Advertisement published on July 16, 2020 and regularize their services at the earliest, it added.
According to the release, there were two meetings between DRAN2021 officials and the Department Officials earlier but it was inconclusive. “DRAN 2021 clearly stated that the concerned authorities should not fool the public of Nagaland by saying that the notification sending their posts to NPSC which read as ‘special recruitment drive’ was nothing special, as it encompassed all the nurses of Nagaland,” it said.
DRAN2021 officials also questioned how they can compete once again for the same posts with the same nurses who failed to qualify in the earlier open interview.
Azo Nienu urges department to DRAN issue
Meanwhile, Leader of NPF Legislature Party and Co-Chairman of the UDA, Kuzholuzo (Azo) Nienu has on Sunday issued a statement calling upon the department concerned to be “serious enough” in addressing the demand of DRAN 2021 and work out the best possible solution at the earliest.
“I am pained to see many of our Nurses coming to the street and protesting without attending their duties. How can we allow the public health workers to go on streets without attending to their duties and let the public suffer?” he asked, and added that “every problem has its solution.”
Azo stated that the public, particularly the ill, were suffering due to the non-availability of their (nurses) services in their respective places of duty.
“I urged upon the Department to relook the memorandum dated 5th July 2020 and the Advertisement that was published on 16th July 2020 to regularize their services. If the department deems fit in their appointment during 2020 then it should not hesitate in regularizing their services, but going for another exam for them is not at all practical,” Azo said in the statement.
Azo also said that the aggrieved nurses had given their best of services, particularly during the peak of COVID-19, and hence, ignoring their contributions and “dumping their genuine rights is nothing but simply showing the inability in managing the issue by the department.”
He even requested the Chief Minister and the concerned Minister to ensure justice to the nurses’ demand and “come to an amicable solution in their regularization and even to their pending salaries that were yet to be released.”
NMA urges Health Minister to intervene
The Naga Mothers’ Association (NMA) had also written to the state health minister demanding the government’s intervention with respect to service regularization and release of pending salaries of the agitating nurses. Citing the circumstances under which the agitating nurses were recruited, the NMA sought the immediate intervention of the health minister into the issue and to ensure that due gratitude is given for the services rendered by the nurses during the pandemic at the risk of one’s life.
“The Advertisement Order categorically advertised the posts of Nurses on regular basis, to which applicants were selected through a process including interview with expert panel,” the NMA wrote.