A separate cell for nursing education under the Directorate of Medical Education will be set up at a cost of Rs.1 crore, Health Minister M.R.K. Panneerselvam said here on Wednesday. The cell, funded by the Central government will take care of the training and educational needs of the nurses.
Participating in the International Nurses Day function at the Government General Hospital, he said the State government had proposed to upgrade infrastructure in the nursing colleges attached to government-run medical colleges in Chengalpet, Madurai and Salem. In the last four years the State government had filled 90 per cent of the existing vacancies in its healthcare centres.
The government had absorbed 7,642 nurses who had been appointed on contract basis. It had appointed three nurses in every primary health centre with the aim of improving health delivery in villages. Recalling the services of Florence Nightingale, whose birth anniversary is observed world over as ‘Nurses Day', he urged the nurses to abide by the oath they take on every Nurses Day. Mr. Panneerselvam presented lifetime achievement awards to 20 nurses on the occasion. Senior doctors, hospital authorities and members of Nurses Association spoke.
Keep smiling
At a function in the Cancer Institute, Adyar, its chairman V. Shanta urged the nurses to listen and counsel the patients. “At cancer hospital, the work of a nurse is very different. Every nurse must keep smiling. You must prepare the patients for the morbidities,” she said, explaining that the role of a nurse in the radiation therapy department was different from that of those in the surgery unit. “You are pivotal in medical care. You have to enhance your skills,” she told the nurses.
Cancer Institute's Advisor Krishnamurthy, recalled the early struggles and the role played by male nurses. Nurses who had put in over 35 years of service were presented lifetime achievement awards. Director of the Institute T.G. Sagar urged the nurses to read more and upgrade their knowledge that would bring them on a par with junior doctors.
Quiz programme
It was a battle of brains at the International Nurses Day celebrations held at Sankara Nethralaya here on Wednesday.
A quiz programme, organised by Dispoline, saw a good number of participation by the nursing students. Reena Eappen, Deputy General Manager (Human Resources) of Sankara Nethralaya, spoke on the genesis of Nurses Day and its significance. “Nurses Week provides opportunity to celebrate the spirit of nursing and acknowledges their work,” she said.
Lily Therasa from the Microbiology Department of the hospital gave a talk on infection control practices. “We organise periodical quiz events for nurses, as an initiative to keep them abreast of newer nursing practices,” said Sumit Marwah, CEO of Dispoline India Pvt Ltd.
Awards presented
As part of the Day, a continuous nursing education programme on ‘Delivering quality, serving communities, nurses leading chronic care' was organised by the Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre. Vice Chancellor of the Sri Ramachandra University S.Rangaswami gave away awards to the best nurses, said a press release.
