Kathmandu, May 14

Health condition of two nurses, who are on fast-unto-death at Shahid Dharma Bhakta National Transplant Centre and Nursing Association Nepal for the last five days, is deteriorating.

Diki Sherpa, a nurse from SDBNTC, and Jita Baral, a nurse from Pokhara, have been on hunger strike since May 10.

Diki Sherpa is staging the strike at SDBNTC, while Baral, who had started her fast-unto-death at NAN office, has been shifted to BP Memorial Health institute and Research Centre considering her health condition.

According to doctors, Baral has been suffering from chest infection and cough for the last few days.

A nurse at SDBNTC informed THT that Sherpa’s health was also in a critical condition. Trajina Jati, a nurse working at the centre, said Sherpa was given fluid through central venous pressure. “We couldn’t inject the fluid into her body through veins as we could not trace her veins. We had to inject the fluid through CVP in order to save her life,” said Jati.

There are 97 nurses working at the hospital. Nurses at the hospital have been launching protest programmes after the hospital announced vacancies for 100 new nurses. They are demanding a permanent status at the hospital on the basis of internal exams.

Other demands of the agitating nurses include providing salary on time,  ensuring participation of old staffers in trainings, conferences  and seminars, providing all the facilities given to a government nurse, and scrapping the system of hiring nurses on contract basis.

“I don’t have the authority to take any decision on my own regarding the demands of the nurses,” said Pukar Chandra Shrestha, executive director at SDBNTC.