Contract nurses stage protest in Chennai demanding job regularisation
Nurses stage a protest in front of DMS in Chennai on Wednesday
CHENNAI: Around 250 contract nurses engaged by the Tamil Nadu government in state-run intensive care units staged a protest in front of the Director of Medical Services in Chennai on Wednesday demanding regularisation of their work.
Around 500 nurses were recruited by Ekam Foundation -- a non-governmental organisation that works for child and maternal healthcare -- in 2013 to work in the neonatal units in government hospitals across the state.
Citing that they were made to work for long hours with a pay that was half of what the permanent staff receive, the nurses demanded that they be absorbed by the government.
"We earn Rs 7,500 a month. We don't just work as nurses, we also end up doing a lot of administrative work owing to shortage of staff," said S Saralakshmi, a protester.
Dr G R Ravindranath of the Doctors Association for Social Equality, who works for the welfare of medical staff in the government sector, said the Director of Medical Services should consider holding a special Medical Recruitment Board examination for these nurses and employ them based on their performance.
Senior officials said it was difficult to meet the nurses' demand as the project was undertaken on public-private-partnership mode.
"We have several workers on contract in the government sector. It is not feasible to absorb all of them," he said.
CHENNAI: Around 250 contract nurses engaged by the Tamil Nadu government in state-run intensive care units staged a protest in front of the Director of Medical Services in Chennai on Wednesday demanding regularisation of their work.
Around 500 nurses were recruited by Ekam Foundation -- a non-governmental organisation that works for child and maternal healthcare -- in 2013 to work in the neonatal units in government hospitals across the state.
Citing that they were made to work for long hours with a pay that was half of what the permanent staff receive, the nurses demanded that they be absorbed by the government.
"We earn Rs 7,500 a month. We don't just work as nurses, we also end up doing a lot of administrative work owing to shortage of staff," said S Saralakshmi, a protester.
Dr G R Ravindranath of the Doctors Association for Social Equality, who works for the welfare of medical staff in the government sector, said the Director of Medical Services should consider holding a special Medical Recruitment Board examination for these nurses and employ them based on their performance.
Senior officials said it was difficult to meet the nurses' demand as the project was undertaken on public-private-partnership mode.
"We have several workers on contract in the government sector. It is not feasible to absorb all of them," he said.
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