COVID-19 impact: Racial slur, harassment force Manipuri nurses leave Kolkata

The nurses were allegedly refused to enter rented flats or hostel after doing duty in hospitals during the Coronavirus pandemic

They faced racial slurs due to the pandemic, they were denied their salaries, they faced harassment from landlords and they risked their safety at work. All these factors compelled nearly 300 Manipuri nurses to leave their jobs at private hospitals in Kolkata and return to their homes, according to a forum of 3,500 Manipuris living in Kolkata.

In a statement emailed to DH, Group Captain (retired) Kshetrimayum Shyamkesho Singh, president of Manipuris in Kolkata, said that Manipuri nurses often faced racial discrimination mainly due to their facial features and lifestyles and this increased during the outbreak of COVID-19. "There has been a case of spitting upon with racial slurs," said Singh. "One would agree that this is the lowest level of treatment meted out to a living creature, let alone a human being. Some have experienced general undignified and intimidating treatment."

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"Calling derogatory names like 'Corona, Corona'. This made the young girls feel insecure," Singh said.

He said the forum came across instances where the nurses were denied entry into their rented flats or hostels after doing day-long duty at hospitals during the pandemic. "Even the hospital administration did not come to help. In some cases, they were even not allowed to use lifts and not allowed to come out to buy grocery items. Some nurses were not paid salaries after their hospitals were closed due to the pandemic. Being in a metro city, even in normal times, many make ends meet with difficulty with a month’s salary. With no salary, it was becoming very difficult to pay rent and buy food," he said.

The forum said that inadequate safety facilities while taking care of patients during the COVID-19 outbreak was another reason why their family members in Manipur told them to return to their homes. "Most issues were related to inadequate/inappropriate PPE, masks, gloves, safety protocols etc. Many felt that they were compromising the patients’ safety and their own safety," he said.

Stating that nearly 1,200 nurses from Manipur were working in Kolkata, Singh said that nurses from Manipur had a strong reputation and that there was a demand for their sincerity and dedication to the jobs.

The forum demanded that the hospital administration and the government should address the issues quickly so as to make sure that other nurses do not leave their jobs.