The services of 800 nurses who are working on contract against sanctioned posts in hospitals run by the Department of Health and Family Welfare are set to be regularised.
Health Minister U.T. Khader told The Hindu that a proposal to regularise their services would be placed before the Cabinet shortly. “We have started the process of verifying documents to prepare a database on the number of years put in by each nurse. The proposal is to regularise the services of those who have been working against sanctioned posts for the last five to 10 years,” Mr. Khader said.
The department recently issued a circular asking autonomous institutions to send back nurses who have been deployed on deputation in teaching hospitals (autonomous institutions), including those coming under Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute.
He said the database would help prepare a seniority list. “We have got several complaints that money had been collected from contract nurses to get their services regularised. We do not want such irregularities to repeat and are working towards streamlining the system. The regularisation process will be transparent and in accordance with the norms. The roster and reservation system will be followed in toto ,” Mr. Khader said.
Nurse-patient ratioHospitals run by the Health Department are facing a shortage of 1,595 fulltime nurses. This does not conform to the Indian Nursing Council norms which stipulate a nurse-patient ratio of 1:4. The average nurse-patient ratio across the State is around 1:40 and the situation is worse in Bangalore city.
Mr. Khader said the State government could not take a decision on regularising the services of 4,000 nurses working under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) as the scheme was run by the Union government. The second phase of the NRHM ends in 2017.
“These nurses will be given preference during the next round of recruitment. We will either reserve 50 per cent of the total sanctioned posts for NRHM nurses or give them grace marks depending on the years of service,” the Minister said.