Kathmandu, January 12

Demanding reinstatement of the suspended nurses of Human Organ Transplant Centre, Bhaktapur, Nepal Nursing Association launched its protest programmes today by halting services at hospitals for an hour across the country.

HOTC nurses were suspended six months ago.

Nurses halted their services for an hour from 10am to 11am, forwarding an 11-point demand. President of NNA Ganga Thapa said they would continue their protest programmes until the Ministry of Health addressed their demands.

“We have already begun our protest wearing black armbands on duty, but now we have decided to halt services for one hour for the next three days. If the government fails to address our demands even by then, we will completely halt our services.”

Thapa said they had been demanding decent wages for nurses for the past 20 years. “Volunteer nurses continue to be exploited by hospitals. This should come to an end,” she said.

NNA, among other things, has also demanded equal pay for nurses working in private hospitals on par with those working in government hospitals and an end to exploitation of labour in the name of volunteer service.

They have also demanded allowance for dress, extra pay for night duty, increase in the number of holidays and paid educational leave.