Patna: Affiliation Issues have RIMS Nurses go on strike

Ranchi: Over 150 students of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), College of Nursing went on an indefinite strike on Sunday, to protest against the cancellation of the Institute’s affiliation due to alleged faculty shortage, for the year 2016-17.They staged a demonstration outside the office of the Institute’s Director. They said the situation had reached such a pass ,despite the Indian Nursing Council having alerted the college administration on January 27, 2017.

A fourth year student said, “If the college failed to get affiliation, we will face immense problem. We will not get admission in other college and also have to struggle for job.”

The INC guideline stipulates 29 faculty members to run the College of Nursing, as against the 4 at present at the RIMS nursing College. In 2013, the Indian Nursing Council had scrapped the affiliation on the issue of faculty shortage; however, since the college administration had promised recruitment of faculty, the affiliation h was restored.

Dr RK Srivastava, RIMS Acting Director said that of the required 29 faculty members, 20 had been recruited and the recruitment process for the remaining was on. “We have submitted a compliance report to the INC and now it will take a call,” he further added.

The students however, were in no mood to concede and threatened to continue with their strike till such time that the college administration got the affiliation letter from the INC. The nurses alleged that the college administration had taken the INC ‘s direction lightly, for the past three years.

“We want concrete action,” they asserted to the HT.