Nurses in Madurai are on an agitation path against the action by a Deputy Director of Health Services (DDHS) to compulsorily enlist 12 new pregnancy cases and 12 delivery cases from each 10,000 population cluster in the city every month.

The nurses' association is planning an agitation and a demonstration before the DDHS office on June 2 if the order is not withdrawn.

A nurse told IANS that there is an undue pressure on them to achieve both monthly and weekly targets. Unable to cope up with the pressure, one Supervisory Health Nurse (SHN) and two Urban Health Nurses (UHN) have resigned from the department recently, the nurse said.

President of Madurai City Nurses Association, M. Pannjavarnam told media persons that the DDHS were sending messages to the Urban Primary Health Centre (UPHC) where they work. She added that those nurses who don't achieve the targets were questioned by the DDHS during review meetings.

The nurse also said that they will be petitioning the Madurai Corporation Commissioner, Simranjeet Singh Kahlon.

The DDHS of Madurai was not available for comments. [IANS/JS]