Nimhans nurses end protest over staff shortage

BENGALURU: Twenty nursing staff of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (Nimhans) ended their protest on Tuesday against shortage of nurses at the premier institution.The protest, which began on Monday, didn’t disrupt any operations at the institution. Though Nimhans has approximately 500 nurses on its rolls, the prescribed ratio of one nurse for every four patients is not being fulfilled. Nimhans has 1,000 beds in its wards.Director Dr B N Gangadhar said the government has sanctioned an additional strength of 195 nurses, but the delay in issuing a formal order is delaying their appointment. “For any new project the institution has taken up, we have asked for a corresponding number of nursing staff as well. We are waiting for the orders to be released,” he said.How it beganTheinstitute unveiled an operation theatre, worth Rs 80 crore to ensure safety during surgery. While the additional staff of doctors and nurses had been sanctioned for the OT, the delay in issuing a formal order led to subsequent delay in carrying out the appointments, Gangadhar said. The nurses refused to perform elective surgery, saying the OT should not be operational unless new staff are appointed. “Our doctors and anaesthesiologists endorsed the idea of unveiling the OT, but the nursing staff decided against it because of this issue,” the director said.