India’s beauty is in its cultural diversity. Today is RakshaBandhan, a day when brothers promise to support their sisters. The Twitter handle of the President handle states that “President Kovind celebrated RakshaBandhan with nurses of The Trained Nurses’ Association of India, Military Nursing Service and nurses of the President’s Estate Clinic. The President appreciated the role of nurses as saviours in the fight against COVID-19.”
Yes, it is indeed nice to see these symbolic gestures from the honorable President, nice of him to consider them for such honor.
Is the honorable President ready to listen to the problems of nurses and take any initiatives and efforts from his office to support and strengthen this profession? I would like to highlight the issues of these sisters to him. This article is not to criticize the act of the President but to present to him, our status and the grave problems we face in providing nursing care in the hospitals.
Strengthening the Nursing Governance: There were attempts to establish nursing directorate in all the states, but only few states have set them up, and almost all the posts are occupied by the non-nursing personnel. Within the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there is not even a singleto represent the nursing profession -the Nursing Directorate post is occupied by a non professional. We requestMr President to take steps to ensure nurses’ involvement and participation in nursing governance, as per the high power committee recommendations.
Stop Privatisation of Nursing Education in India: This table depicts the status of nursing education in India. Unfortunately, majority of them are in private sector (only 1, 3, 7, 14 percentage of M.Sc, B.Sc, GNM and ANM colleges respectively are government institutions) (Nursing and Midwifery in India: A critical Review, National Institute of Health and Family Welfare In collaboration with WHO, 2012).
| Courses | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 | 2012 | 2014 |
| ANM | 298 | 360 | 676 | 1452 | 1938 |
| GNM | 285 | 983 | 2083 | 2576 | 2968 |
| B.Sc | 30 | 377 | 1326 | 1516 | 1700 |
| M.Sc | 10 | 59 | 315 | 481 | 582 |
The existing government nursing institutions do not have sanctioned teacher post and some buildings are in the unbelievably dilapidated conditions. Many institutions are running non attending classes and have made this as their core business. We request you to take steps to restore the standard of education standards and save the future of health care.
Dignity of work to nurses working at Private Hospital: As per the Supreme Court directions a committee was formed in 2014 by MoHFW, which recommended that salary given to nurses in private hospitals should not be paid less than Rs 20,000 even in less than 50 bedded hospitals, and in hospitals with more than 200 beds they should be paid the same salary as in corresponding state government hospitals. It also recommended that the working conditions of nurses in private hospitals including working hours, leave, medical care, transportations etc should be at par with those in state government hospitals. Till date no state has implemented this recommendation. Instead private hospitals owners, through organizations like AHPI (Association of Healthcare Providers of India), have filed a case to stall the implementation of the orders to this effect passed in states like Kerala and Delhi. We request you to call for a review for the implementation of this committee recommendations and reassure the basic minimum standards of work to these sisters.
Stop Contractualisation in Public Health institutions: Last week 700 nurses at AIIMS, Patna protested demanding sufficient PPE and equal wages for equal work . These nurses were recruited through a third party – Bedi and Bedi Company. There are many nurses in the federal government hospitals that are recruited on direct contract basis, doing same work as other permanent staff but not getting equal pay and benefits and living with a fear of loss of job. This is the same situation for all the nurses who are working under National Rural Health Mission and many more hospitals in each and every state. This is a step towards bonded labor system where workers are left without any rights. We request you to intervene in this matter and come out with a direction to not recruit any health workers on contract basis.
Stop workplace violence: Majority of the health workers are females and their number is very less at the top of the pyramid of administration and governances. While many laws and committees have recommended setting up of committees to address workplace violence very few hospitals have a structured committee and routine interventions to make the workplace safe from violence. We request you to take an initiative to check the status of committees (Vishakha) in all the hospitals and their status.
Career pathways and skill recognition: Nurses provide round the clock services for years at one specialty or department. Those medical students who practiced and studied from them become Directors and Specialists. But these nurses who gained the skills over the years of practice and knowledge are not even given permission to practice. We request you to look at the skills performed by these nurses and form a commiitte to create a skill based career pathways.
Mr President, I thank you again for giving us an opportunity to tie Rakhi to you at your residence. I hope you will look into our problems and take steps to improve our remuneration and other employment conditions.
Yours,
Santosh Mahindrakar
August 3 2020
Delhi
You pointed out what exact Indian Nurses need now. Hope the concerned bureaucrats look into our demands and help in solving few of our issues listed.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Well written and well timed. Sharing straight away.
Once again the IAPH team has raised a concern of the ground reality of the Nurses at forefront of every work in health care services
Today we r building hospital in days or months,also purchase ventilator from within or outside the country ,we r now one of the largest exporter and producer of PPE now the world is looking to us for handling this pandamic .
But have we ever thought that the skills and knowledge and experience and conditions which is required r we investing in it also .,…,
It’s very important we have skilled and certified nursing professional in care areas for best quality results…..not not yet any such things……
A nurse working in labour room since 10 yrs is send to ICCU were she does her best but still she is not satisfied with the care she provides.but it is not with the other health care provider they only work in the area of concern…as nureses r multi purpose but if we train and certified and permit to practice then only we would be a real tribute to the Nurses and the patients which they serve
Good write up ….one thing on autonomy as a profession as to be added ….still nurses are in mercy of doctors
Mr. Santosh very well elaborated the major issues apart from that want to add one more thing. .. To fill all the vaccant nursing administrative post in Ministries, States ,hospitals etc. with Clinical/teaching experience by “years based” ..not “pay scales based”.
If really want to give a direction to real nursing care.
Until and unless you will not empowered Experienced Clinical Nurses in administration and policy making. .. ………..your raksha bandhan gift will be incomplete.
Thanks
Regards
Good write up, covering all the major issues faced by our profession. A humble suggestion to include recognition of PG Clinical Nurses under government service. How about a submission from IAPH to the President and the union health minister addressing these issues?
Well written sir. Majority of the issues in our profession are covered in this write up. A suggestion to include giving recognition to the PG nurses in govt service. How about giving a submission to the president and the union health minister from IAPH, discussing the above said issues..?
You have well described the issues facing by Nursing fraternity. Hope that our voice will be heard to raise the profession of nursing!
Thank you for raising Nurse’s related issues. After 73 year of independence we are recognised for our services in our country. Whom to blame???
We are being governed by other professionals mainly medical department professionals. There is no proper career path for Nursing professional in even government sector because A nurse is a nurses, is a nurse , is a nurse, mentality of health care administration.
In my opinion, nurses conditions in the country is parallel to the health care services in the country.
Our autonomy will enhance public health care services.
Thank you sir
Go ahead
Well articulated letter to President. Hope he will get to read it and take suitable action.
Sharing twitter handel of the President -@rashtrapatibhvn
Make sure this article reaches him !!
Now, that we have tied Rakhi, hope to see “Raksha” coming from our honourable President. We “sisters” are in distress. Address our larger issues. We want less show-off but more real work. Uplift nurses, millions of lives/ families will be saved, hence the economy of the country.
Now, that we have tied Rakhi, hope to see “Raksha” coming from our honourable President. We “sisters” are in distress. Address our larger issues. We want less show-off but more real work. Uplift nurses, millions of lives/ families will be saved, hence the economy of the country.
I agree with rajratan that things have to come to the fore,nurses are not bonded labourers to work for Rs33/day,according to a video I saw in facebook.we should not work for the menial amount and unskilled labourers get more money than these staff nurses.
Dear santosh- sensational article and facts about the current issues of nursing professional and government is neglecting by unseen or not giving importance..
My opinion to you is to please call media and submit your article in it.. which will create awareness and through this, things may change.. even Sanjay Pirapur has kept almost same issues.. ask help from him and fight jointly..
Hope we are heard this time. Let’s keep our hopes high👍
Well narrated, 😍😍
Great mentioning dear. This is urgent need of time in this pandemic and coming state. Thank you being vocal for nurses.
That’s a well depicted issues if heard and intervened, as a community of nurses we will be glad. Hope it reaches honorable President.
Good initiative in a right path….need to reach the top but