Beginning May 18, close to 3,000 government nurses from across Chhattisgarh went on strike, for better pay. On June 2, 607 nurses were arrested. With the government promising to set up a committee, the protest was called off the next day and the nurses released. Tikeshwari Sahu was among the protesters.
* Since when have you been working?
Tikeshwari Sahu: This September, I complete five years working as a nurse. I’m posted at Bhimrao Ambedkar Government Hospital in Raipur.
* Why did you join the protests?
Tikeshwari Sahu: Nurses working for Central government-run hospitals get Rs 4,600 a month; in Chhattisgarh, we get only Rs 2,800. We all have BSc Nursing degrees and our work is the same, but why this salary difference? I have a home loan of Rs 8,500 a year. Other nurses have school-going children and school fees are so high these days.
* Do you feel the low salary reflects a lack of pride in you?
Tikeshwari Sahu: I joined this protest because there is no respect for us. Look at what happened when we went on strike. At the hospital I worked, surgeries got cancelled, chemotherapy stopped. Humaare bina hospital ka banta dhaar ho gaya (Without us, the hospital was a mess). When we went back, the doctors told us, ‘We struggled without you’.
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