Members of the Unemployed COVID Warriors Nurses Union intensified their protest outside the residence of Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh in Patiala on Monday. The demonstrators raised slogans against the state government and burned an effigy of the Health Minister, accusing the administration of failing to honour promises made to them.
Protesters Demand Permanent Employment
The nurses, who served on the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic, have been protesting along with their family members in extreme heat. They demand that the Punjab Government fulfil its commitment to provide them permanent employment. The protest saw support from Youth Congress district president Sanjeev Sharma Kalu, who addressed the gathering.
Kalu expressed disappointment that nurses who risked their lives to serve the public during the pandemic were being forced to agitate for their rights. He urged the Punjab Government to immediately accept the nurses' demands and regularise their services, warning that the agitation would escalate if the issue remained unresolved.
Unfulfilled Assurances from AAP Leaders
Nurse activist Charanjot Kaur recalled that on January 3, 2022, when COVID warriors were on a hunger strike at Rajindra Hospital, leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), including Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, had assured them that their services would be regularised once the party came to power. However, she alleged that despite those assurances, the nurses were still fighting for their rights.
Kalu questioned the state government's commitment towards women, stating that a government which talks about respecting mothers and daughters should not ignore women healthcare workers seeking justice and job security. The protest continues as the nurses remain determined to achieve their goal of permanent employment.
