Nurses launch nationwide protest demanding proper salaries, allowances

By Raman Paudel

Kathmandu, Oct. 29: Nurses across the country have been protesting, demanding a review of their salaries and allowances. The protests, which began from Manipal Hospital and Gandaki Hospital in Pokhara two weeks ago, have now expanded nationwide.

The nurses have reported that many hospitals are exploiting their labour by paying them less than the approved salary scale and requiring them to work additional hours.

They have claimed that they are being deprived of social security, forced to work for a salary as low as 9,000 rupees, and denied experience certificates if they leave their jobs midway for other employment opportunities. According to Chandrakala Sharma, President of the Nepal Nursing Council, hospitals have been exploiting nurses in terms of salary and other allowances.

President Sharma stated that the union has announced a nationwide strike from October 29, during which all services except emergency ones will be halted for two hours per day for a week.

“Studying nursing costs more than 1.5 million rupees, but nurses aren’t paid a proper salary by the hospitals,” said President Sharma.

She announced that the Council will continue to protest until the government addresses the nurses’ demands.

Dr. Prakash Budhathoki, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population, stated that the government is concerned about addressing the nurses’ demands. Speaking to The Rising Nepal, Dr. Budhathoki informed that the government had initiated negotiations with the protesting nurses.

“We have started negotiations with representatives of the nurses, and it is progressing positively. Hopefully, their demands will be fulfilled,” said Dr. Budhathoki.

Meanwhile, Dr. Shudha Sharma Gautam, the newly appointed Minister for Health and Population, assured that she is ready to resolve the nurses’ issues, stating that she has been closely observing the ongoing protests. Dr. Sharma also stated that she supports fair evaluation and remuneration for nurses and will address the protests by discussing the issues with relevant stakeholders.

The Minister further assured that she will resolve the matter through dialogue with hospital owners.

 The Ministry of Health and Population has formed a task force to address the protest following an order from Prime Minister Sushila Karki last week.

The task force, led by Additional Secretary Dr. Shree Krishna Shrestha, has also initiated regular dialogue with nurse representatives. However, the discussions between the two parties have yet to conclude.

Furthermore, the government has formed a monitoring committee in all seven provinces.

Dr. Bikash Devkota, Secretary for the Health Ministry, also assured that the government is concerned about the nurses’ demands, saying it supports their genuine concerns.

An all-party meeting called by the Ministry of Health and Population last Sunday ended without a conclusion after operators of private medical colleges and private hospitals boycotted it.

After disagreements between nurses and private hospital operators, the nurses announced nationwide protests, wearing black armbands as a sign of protest.

Following the disputes with hospital operators, nurses have been staging protests in major cities such as Pokhara, Biratnagar, Dhangadhi, and Kathmandu.

Last November, the government had directed that nurses working in private hospitals be paid Rs. 34,730, equivalent to the government’s non-gazetted first-class employees.

Nevertheless, private hospitals have failed to pay nurses according to the government-approved salary scale.

 President Sharma has demanded that nurses be paid under the Health Service Act rather than the Labour Act.

Earlier, on April 25, the Nurses Council had submitted a report outlining its demands to the Health Ministry.