Overview
- Nurses at three Punjab government medical colleges kept up an indefinite strike after the state invoked ESMA on March 25, and talks with officials ended without a deal.
- ESMA is a law that bans strikes in essential services and allows up to six months in jail, fines, departmental action and a no work, no pay rule.
- Hospital leaders reported 40–50% of nurses off duty at some colleges, which disrupted OPDs and routine procedures while emergency care stayed open.
- The dispute centers on nurses hired since July 2020 seeking Level 7 pay with a Rs 4,600 grade pay instead of Level 5, a shift they say cut starting basic pay to Rs 29,200 from Rs 44,900.
- Hospitals leaned on resident doctors, MBBS and nursing interns and senior nurses to fill gaps, a stopgap staff warned could strain care if the standoff continues.