Mumbai: ‘No proper food & accommodation’, nurses at Covid hospital go on flash strike – Times of India

MUMBAI: Nearly 200 nurses working at the Nesco jumbo Covid hospital in Goregaon went on a flash strike on Sunday to protest their living conditions. They resumed work at 3pm after a written assurance from the facility head that their demands will be considered.
Nurses, who had gathered at the hospital around 9am, said it was their last resort as their complaints about lack of facilities in their accommodation were never taken seriously. Nurses working at Nesco have been staying at a Mhada building in Goregaon for the past year. What triggered the strike was a decision to shift them to a school in Dindoshi, which they said was neither well connected nor near any eateries. They have also been complaining about being cramped in smaller buses that take them home from the Covid centre.
A nurse who has been working for a year at Nesco, said, “The Mhada accommodation is not great either, but Dindoshi would be worse. Six to ten of us share a 1BHK flat. We were not provided cupboards or anything for storage. We’ve been tolerating everything but there is a limit,” the nurse said, adding that they were being given step-motherly treatment. “Doctors are put up in hotels. We are not demanding that, but we have right to a good accommodation too,” she said, adding that at least 10 have contracted Covid in the recent times.
Another added that nurses have been complaining about the lack of high-protein food. “We have made several complaints with the contractor but to no avail. There are no eggs or wholesome meals that are served. So, we heavily depend on eateries around us to order a good meal. The school in Dindoshi has no such facilities, which will be difficult for those who return from late-night shifts at 2am to 3am,” she added. Most nurses staying there are residents of Dhule, Ratnagiri, Nandurbar, Beed, Ahmednagar among other districts.
Dean Dr Neelam Andrade said that matters of food and lodging are looked after by the local ward official. “However, we will look into their problems and fix them,” she said. TNN