Thousands of nurses and hospital staff across Maharashtra were part of the state-wide strike declared by 17 lakh government employees demanding the restoration of the old pension scheme. Even as the strike was called off by late evening following assurances from the chief minister in the Assembly, it left medical services in the city severely impacted throughout the day.

In Mumbai, there are four state-run hospitals known as the JJ Group of Hospitals comprising Sir J J Hospital, St George’s Hospital, Gokuldas Tejpal Hospital and Cama & Albless Hospital. They all struggled to cater to the large number of patients seeking affordable care. “We assigned student nurses. Resident doctors and a small number of contractual workers covered the shortfall. Apart from that, we also reached out to civic body to provide us with nurses in case the strike is extended,” said J J Hospital Dean Dr Pallavi Saple. According to Saple, 700 nurses were on strike at JJ hospital. “Twelve were working. We also have 250-300 student nurses in total, and at present, we have deployed three per ICU,” she said.