KOCHI: About 75 Malayali nurses quit AMRI Hospital in Kolkata and returned home on Tuesday. The Centre had cancelled the licence of the hospital following the fire that killed over 93 people on December 9.The hospital authorities and staff had come under severe criticism following reports that laxity of the staff was the reason for the high death toll. The Malayali nurses, however, denied the allegation. “We were all given classes on fire safety. But when the incident took place it was altogether different. Smoke was gushing out from all sides and there were no lights since the power was switched off immediately. It was just not possible to rush into the smoke. Most people died of choking,” said Joemol John. The nurses said that the hospital had not put pressure on any of them to resign. “We were given salaries even after the hospital was closed. But it is not possible to work there since the hospital does not have a licence. They had offered to shift all of us to other branches. But the branches are very far, about two hours from Kolkata. So it was not possible to move to those places. But even while we were leaving, the hospital authorities ensured that everything that was due to us was given,” said Nisha Pillai.“The hospital treated its staff well. Nurses fresh out of internship were paid `9,000. There was food allowance. In fact, we were all set to get a hike of `2,500 by January,” Joemol said. The nurses now hope to find employment in Kerala. “We will apply for jobs here. The government is taking note of the situation of nurses here. Hopefully that will help us,” Joemol said.
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