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Strike at Matale Hospital
 Heart patient dies as nurses refuse to wash their plates
 By Dhanuusha Pathirana
A heart patient died yesterday at the Matale Hospital during a strike by nurses who were protesting over labourers' refusal to wash their plates.

The heart patient, 25-year-old Sampath Bandara, was sent to the Emergency Treatment Unit (ETU) of the hospital by doctors but the unit was locked by the striking nurses who were attending a meeting elsewhere.

Meanwhile, the nurses turned down a compromise proposal to use polythene sheets. According to hospital officials, the labourers’ duty does not include washing nurses' plates.

However, nurses point out that the practice of labourers washing plates has been observed since the 1950s when sisters worked in hospitals.Central Province Health Services Director, Dr. Shanthi Samarasinghe said.

Dr. Samarasinghe said that due to the callous act of the nurses, the patients are suffering a great deal. There are over 500 patients in the wards. "We have employed labourers from outside to alleviate the situation at the hospital, but their service is not enough since there is only one per ward.”
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