Hospitals reel as shortage of trained nurses hits hard

Hospitals reel as shortage of trained nurses hits hard

Many Leave For Better Salaries Elsewhere

Ardhra.Nair@timesgroup.com

Pune:19.04.2021 

Hospitals in the city are facing an acute shortage of nursing staff after many took up offers in their native states and abroad for lucrative pay packages.

Workload in the Covid-19 pandemic has increased and hospitals have upped their bed capacity to accommodate more patients, stretching the nursing staff to the limits.

Many hospitals said earlier one nurse managed 5-6 patients, but now it is 15 patients. Similarly, if the ratio for ICU beds was one nurse per bed, it is now three beds per staff.

Abrarali Dalal, chief operating officer in Sahyadri Hospitals, said their units were full just like the last year’s. “There is a global shortage of nursing staff. Indian nurses are getting lucrative offers, especially from the Gulf countries. Fresh graduates are not available as colleges have not held exams or have delayed the results during the pandemic. There is a shortage of senior nursing staff to cope with the sudden increase in patients. Nurses are now working almost beyond their capacities,” he added.

Noble Hospital said they need over 400 nurses but have  235. Most are from other states and have gone back home or abroad, some switched to the jumbo facilities while 30 went into government health services.

“Some nurses stopped coming after the March salary. We have complained to the police station that 25 nurses have left without any intimation and don’t take our calls. The government is asking us to increase the beds, but where is the manpower? We have told senior doctors and consultants to do ward duty which is not their job profile. Attrition in nurses affects us the most because about 70% of the work when a patient is admitted in the hospital is done by hem,” executive director H K Sale said.

Lokmanya Hospital, Chinchwad has doubled the salaries during the pandemic but it is still hard to retain them.

“If earlier we had one nurse per patient on a ventilator, now we are forced to have one nurse for 2-3 patients on a ventilator. Since there is more probability of healthcare workers contracting the virus, they are leaving for their native places because they feel that even if they test positive, they should be near their loved ones rather than staying in isolation in an unknown place,” COO Shrikrishna Joshi said.

They have increased operational beds for Covid patients to 150, but the nursing staff strength has not gone up. Earlier a nurse would care for six patients, now it is 15.

கொரோனா பணியில் நர்ஸ் மரணம் நிவாரணம் குறித்து பரிசீலிக்க உத்தரவு

கொரோனா பணியில் நர்ஸ் மரணம் நிவாரணம் குறித்து பரிசீலிக்க உத்தரவு

Added : ஏப் 13, 2021 00:59

மதுரை : கொரோனா தடுப்புப் பணியில் இறந்த, அரசு மருத்துவமனை நர்ஸ் குடும்பத்திற்கு இழப்பீடு கோரிய மனுவை அரசு பரிசீலிக்க, உயர் நீதிமன்ற மதுரைக் கிளை உத்தரவிட்டது.

ராமநாதபுரம் மாவட்டம், பரமக்குடி பாண்டியூரைச் சேர்ந்த, இளையராஜா தாக்கல் செய்த மனு:என் மனைவி கலைச்செல்வி. இரண்டு மைனர் குழந்தைகள். என் மனைவி, ராமநாதபுரம் அரசு மருத்துவமனையில், நர்சாக, 2013ல் நியமிக்கப்பட்டார். ஒப்பந்த அடிப்படையில், தொகுப்பூதியம் வழங்கப்பட்டது.சிறப்பு வார்டுகடந்த, 2020ல் கொரோனா சிறப்பு வார்டில் பணிபுரிந்தார். அவருக்கு கொரோனா தொற்று ஏற்பட்டது. அதே மருத்துவமனையில் சிகிச்சை பெற்றார். ஆக., 13ல் இறந்தார்.

'கொரோனா தடுப்பில் முன்னின்று பணிபுரியும் அலுவலர்கள், டாக்டர்கள், நர்ஸ்கள், மருத்துவ பணியாளர்கள் இறந்தால், அவர்களின் குடும்பத்திற்கு, 50 லட்சம் ரூபாய் நிவாரணம் வழங்கப்படும். 'குடும்ப உறுப்பினர் ஒருவருக்கு, தகுதி அடிப்படையில் அரசுப் பணி வழங்கப்படும்' என தமிழக அரசு அறிவித்தது.இதனடிப்படையில், முதல்வரின் பொது நிவாரண நிதியில் இருந்து இழப்பீடு கோரி, சுகாதாரத் துறைக்கு விண்ணப்பித்தேன்.

'கலைச்செல்வியின் பணி, வரன்முறை செய்யப்படவில்லை; இதனால் இழப்பீடு, கருணைப் பணி கோர முடியாது' என நிராகரித்தனர். சரியாக பரிசீலிக்காமல், பாகுபாட்டுடன் உத்தரவிடப்பட்டுள்ளது. வருவாய் இழப்புமனைவி இறந்ததால் குடும்பத்திற்கு வருவாய் இழப்பு ஏற்பட்டுள்ளது. நிராகரித்த உத்தரவை ரத்து செய்து, இழப்பீடு வழங்க உத்தரவிட வேண்டும். இவ்வாறு, மனுவில் கோரியிருந்தார்.நீதிபதி எம்.எஸ்.ரமேஷ், ''மருத்துவம் மற்றும் ஊரக நலப் பணிகள் இயக்குனர், மனுவை, 12 வாரங்களில் தகுதி அடிப்படையில், சட்டத்திற்கு உட்பட்டு பரிசீலித்து, தகுந்த உத்தரவு பிறப்பிக்க வேண்டும்,'' என்றார்.

25 nursing students in college in Davanagere found infected

25 nursing students in college in Davanagere found infected

07.04.2021 

Davanagere:

Twenty-five girls studying in a private nursing college in Davanagere tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday. All of them were admitted to a private hospital. The girls were staying in the college hostel with 109 other students besides 15 cooking staff. Swab samples from all inmates have been collected for testing, said Dr GD Raghavan, district surveillance officer. All of them are from Kerala and arrived at the hostel two months ago when the college reopened. They had furnished Covid negative reports on arrival. The hostel has been declared a containment zone. TNN

Nursing colleges under govt scanner

Nursing colleges under govt scanner

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:19.03.2021 

The state government on Thursday said it would conduct an inquiry and take stringent action against nursing colleges operating without basic training facilities and faculty.

Medical education minister K Sudhakar told the legislative council that the government would cancel errant colleges’ licences after the probe. “I will table the inquiry report within 90 days in this house,” he added.

On Thursday, BJP MLC N Ravi Kumar claimed most of the 650 nursing colleges in Karnataka lacked basic amenities and teaching staff. “There are 30 to 40 colleges in Bidar district where people from Kerala write their exams and get a degree. There is no teaching faculty at many colleges,” he said.

JD(S) legislators alleged that running nursing colleges was a huge business that was churning out untrained professionals and putting people at risk. Marithibbe Gowda said that in Manyda, two licences were issued to a single facility.

The proceedings were adjourned after JD(S) members, not satisfied with the government’s response, staged a protest and demanded a probe by a house committee.

நர்சிங் படிப்புகளுக்கும் ‘நீட்’ தேர்வு அறிவிப்பு: சட்டப்பேரவை தேர்தலில் தாக்கத்தை ஏற்படுத்துமா? :

நர்சிங் படிப்புகளுக்கும் ‘நீட்’ தேர்வு அறிவிப்பு: சட்டப்பேரவை தேர்தலில் தாக்கத்தை ஏற்படுத்துமா? :

election-2021

நர்சிங் படிப்புக்கும் ‘நீட்’ தேர்வு கட்டாயம் என்ற அறிவிப்பு பேரவை தேர்தலில் தாக்கத்தை ஏற்படுத்தும் என்று கூறப்படுகிறது.

எம்பிபிஎஸ், பிடிஎஸ், சித்தா,ஆயுர்வேதா, யுனானி, ஓமியோபதிமற்றும் கால்நடை மருத்துவம்ஆகிய இளநிலை மருத்துவப் படிப்புகளுக்கு ‘நீட்’ தேர்வு அடிப்படையில் மாணவர் சேர்க்கை நடத்தப்படுகிறது.

இந்நிலையில் நடப்பு கல்வி ஆண்டுக்கான (2021-22) ‘நீட்’ தேர்வுஆகஸ்ட் 1-ம் தேதி நடக்க உள்ளது. அதில், இந்த ஆண்டு முதல்பிஎஸ்சி நர்சிங் படிப்புகளுக்கும் ‘நீட்’ தேர்வு கட்டாயமாக்கப்பட்டுள்ளதாக கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது.

இந்த அறிவிப்பு பெற்றோர், மாணவர்களிடம் அதிருப்தியை ஏற்படுத்தி உள்ளது. இது சட்டப்பேரவை தேர்தலில் தாக்கத்தைஏற்படுத்தும் என்று கூறப்படுகிறது.

இதுகுறித்து அரசுப் பள்ளி ஆசிரியர்கள் கூறியதாவது:

‘நீட்’ தேர்வுக்குப் பின் மருத்துவப் படிப்புகளில் மிகவும் குறைந்த அளவிலான அரசுப் பள்ளி மாணவர்களுக்கே சேர்க்கை கிடைத்தது. மேலும், ‘நீட்’ தேர்வின் கடினத் தன்மையால் தேர்ச்சி பெறமுடியாத சில மாணவர்கள் தற்கொலை செய்துகொண்டனர்.

அரசின் இலவச பயிற்சி வகுப்புகளும் பெரிய அளவில் பலன் அளிக்கவில்லை. இத்தகைய சம்பவங்கள் பொதுமக்கள் மத்தியில் பரவலான அதிருப்தியை ஏற்படுத்தியிருந்தது. இது கடந்த மக்களவைத் தேர்தலிலும் எதிரொலித்தது.

இவற்றைக் கருத்தில் கொண்டுதான் அரசுப் பள்ளி மாணவர்களுக்கு மருத்துவப் படிப்புகளில் 7.5 சதவீத உள் இடஒதுக்கீட்டை தமிழக அரசுஅமல்படுத்தியது.

இந்நிலையில் இந்த ஆண்டு முதல் நர்சிங் படிப்புகளுக்கும் ‘நீட்’தேர்வு கட்டாயம் என்ற அறிவிப்பு சிக்கலை உருவாக்கியுள்ளது.

இவ்வாறு அவர்கள் கூறினர்.

தமிழகத்தில் உள்ள 7.5 சதவீத இடஒதுக்கீடு பிஎஸ்சி நர்சிங் உள்ளிட்ட துணை மருத்துவ படிப்புகளுக்கு பொருந்தாது என்பதால் பெற்றோர், மாணவர்கள் தரப்பில் மீண்டும் அதிருப்தி நிலவுகிறது.

இதுதொடர்பாக பெற்றோர்கள் சிலர் கூறும்போது, ‘‘கரோனா நிலையை கருத்தில் கொண்டு, இந்த ஆண்டு மட்டும் ‘நீட்’ தேர்வை திரும்பப் பெற்று, பிளஸ் 2 மதிப்பெண் அடிப்படையில் தமிழக அரசு சேர்க்கை நடத்த வேண்டும். இல்லாவிட்டால், கால்நடை, நர்சிங் உள்ளிட்ட துணை மருத்துவப் படிப்புகளுக்கும் 7.5 சதவீத உள் இடஒதுக்கீடு வழங்க முன்வரவேண்டும். இல்லாவிட்டால் தேர்தலில் இது தாக்கத்தை ஏற்படுத்தும்’’ என்றனர்.

Nurse: One of the memorable days of my life

Nurse: One of the memorable days of my life

Bosco.Dominique@timesgroup.com

Puducherry:02.03.2021 

“Are you using a thicker needle? Politicians are usually thick-skinned,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi joked with nurse P Niveda who administered the Bharat Biotech-manufactured Covaxin to him at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, on Monday.

The 28-year-old from Puducherry said the Prime Minister praised her saying he did not feel the jab. “The Prime Minister wished us and asked where we were from. The moment I said I am from Puducherry he said ‘Vanakkam’. He then cracked a joke asking whether we settled for a stronger needle as politicians are usually thick-skinned,” said Niveda, who did her nursing degree from Jipmer in Puducherry, where her father is an ambulance driver.

“I joined AIIMS three years ago. Today is one of the memorable days in my life. My colleague from Kerala Rosamma Anil and myself got the opportunity to administer Covid vaccine to our Prime Minister. We took photos with him. Our PM has set an example to prove that India’s vaccine is safe and highly efficient and to encourage others to take the vaccine,” she said.

The Prime Minister was kept under observation for 30 minutes after vaccination. He will get the second dose after 28 days. Niveda’s father Palanisami said she aspired to pursue medicine or nursing. “She joined nursing in Jipmer. After completing the course, she worked in a private hospital in Puducherry before joining Jipmer as a project nurse on contract basis. Three years ago, she was selected by AIIMS,” said Palanisamy, who joined Jipmer 33 years ago. “I am from Karaikal I joined Jipmer as a driver in 1988. I will retire in November next year. I am proud of my daughter,” he said.

27 nursing students test positive in Mys

27 nursing students test positive in Mys

09.02.2021 

Twenty-seven nursing students of a Mysuru college have tested positive for Covid-19. They had arrived from Kerala nearly a month ago to appear for their finalyear exam. Health authorities said that they had been isolated at hostels. All students are safe, an official said. This is the first such outbreak in an educational institution in the district.

5 feel uneasy after jab, recover in hours

5 feel uneasy after jab, recover in hours

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Shivamogga:07.02.2021

Five nursing students experienced uneasiness after taking their first Covid-19 vaccine dose on Friday. They were admitted to McGann Teaching District Hospital in Shivamogga, but recovered the next morning. District health officer Rajesh Suragihalli said that it might be a case of anxiety.

The five, who study at a private nursing college, took the shot at McGann hospital in the morning and returned to their hostel. After lunch, they complained of uneasiness and a headache. One of them also spoke about breathing problems. The warden suggested that they should be immediately taken to the hospital.

Suragihalli said that initially, one student was brought to the hospital. Later, four others arrived. Doctors decided to keep them under observation for the night. “They were discharged early on Saturday. It may have been anxiety. So far, there have been no complaints of vaccine side effects in Shivamogga,” he added.

Two weeks ago, junior doctors from the Shivamogga Institute of Medical Sciences wrote to health minister K Sudhakar, saying the government should allow healthcare workers to choose from the two available vaccines. Earlier, a 60-year-old doctor, who had taken his first jab, passed away. Officials said the death was not linked to the vaccine.

Indian nurses head to Gulf for lucrative Covid vax stints

Indian nurses head to Gulf for lucrative Covid vax stints

Sunitha.Rao@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:07.02.2021

Some private hospitals in Bengaluru have raised their concern with the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (PHANA) about nurses quitting abruptly. They are being “lured” with attractive salary packages in Gulf countries for their Covid vaccination drives for 3-6 months, they said.

PHANA has told all member hospitals to report such cases. “At a time when the mass vaccination drive is all set to begin in India, we are seeing the new trend of nurses quitting to go to Gulf countries. Some nurses who quit have been trained by the government to work in Covid vaccination session sites,” a PHANA member told STOI.

According to one advertisement, nurses are being offered 8,000 Arab Emirates dirhams (around Rs 1.5 lakh) per month. The pay package is 6-7 times the salary in Bengaluru. Covid-recovered, unmarried nurses below 40 years and trained in Covid vaccination sessions are much in demand, sources said.

A recent case was at Excel Care hospital near Banashankari, where two nurses quit abruptly, one after the other, in January. Both were male nurses, who had recovered from Covid. “One of them stopped coming to work on January 24. We realised he was hired by a Dubai hospital for a mass vaccination drive and was offered Rs 2 lakh a month. He quit without serving the notice period. He was trained by the Karnataka government for Covid vaccination. We also heard he got the visa within a day,” said Dr Suresh Krishnamurthy, medical director of the hospital.

Covid test target cut from 1L to 70K

The government, in a circular issued on January 30, has reduced the daily, statewide Covid testing target from 1 lakh to 70,000. The norms prescribe RT-PCR tests through a pooling method, with some exceptions. The fall in testing comes alongside a fall in Covid-19 cases across the state. Bengaluru crossed 4 lakh cases on Saturday, of which 98% have recovered. P 5

Row erupts over toddler’s billing

A row has erupted after one-year-old Vishalini overcame acute Covid-19 pneumonia after a 74-day battle at Rainbow Children’s Hospital, a private facility in Marathahalli. Though BBMP had referred her to this facility, entitling her to free treatment, her family, which has limited means, spent ₹6 lakh on the child’s treatment. P 5

We may face staff shortage in vax drives: Doc

Dteam r Krishnamurthy got a shock two added days later his when another nurse quit. “At a time when the pandemic has gradually declined and vaccination has begun, our country may lose trained nurses who go outside for better salaries. The government should take note of it,” he said.

PHANA president Dr HM Prasanna said. “As of now, we’ve heard from two hospitals. We’re yet to get the exact number of nurses who have quit. If a few nurses quit, it won’t be an issue as there is always attrition. But there is a huge demand for nurses abroad for vaccination drives. If many nurses quit, we’ll face a manpower shortage in our own vaccination drives and to tackle the Covid second wave, if it happens,” Dr Prasanna told STOI.

The matter will be brought to the government’s notice if there’s an exodus of nurses, he added. While a 20% attrition rate among nurses is seen annually in city hospitals, it could go up, sources said.

› FULL COVERAGE | P 5 & 18

Over 1,000 nurses honoured for serving amid COVID-19

Over 1,000 nurses honoured for serving amid COVID-19

Inner Wheel, an international women’s organisation, on Sunday honoured 1,130 nurses at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital for their service during the pandemic.

Published: 11th January 2021 05:48 AM 

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Inner Wheel, an international women’s organisation, on Sunday honoured 1,130 nurses at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital for their service during the pandemic. According to a press release, the International Inner Wheel Day was celebrated on Sunday.

As many as 60 nurses were honoured in person by Dean Dr E Theranirajan and Chairman of Inner Wheel District 323 Usha Saraogi and presidents of the Inner Wheel clubs in the district. The nurses were honoured with a plaque, trophy and a packet of sweets under the project ‘Mikka Nandri’.

Vasudha Chandrachud, National President of Inner Wheel India handed over a cheque of `1 lakh on behalf of Inner Wheel District 332 to the Dean for ‘Wall of Kindness’ which is to treat unknown and poor patients.

TN nursing grad loses life, baby in attempt to deliver at home

TN nursing grad loses life, baby in attempt to deliver at home

Trichy:11.01.2021

A 29-year-old BSc nursing graduate lost her life while delivering a baby under the supervision of her husband Vijayavarman, an acupuncture practitioner, at their house in Perambalur district on Sunday. The woman developed serious medical complications including blood coagulation while the unborn baby was found dead and decomposed within the uterus, reports Deepak Karthik.

Health department sources said Alagammal of Poolambadi village was scheduled to deliver a baby on December 28 and the family had registered her name for reproduction and child health (RCH) identification number. Alagammal, however, failed to turn up for pregnancy screening. “The family told us that they will take care of childbirth at their home. They even said they will bear the consequences and threatened us for intervening,” said R Geetharani, deputy director of health services (DDHS), Perambalur. As per government data, the state has nearly 98% institutional delivery.

DELIVERY AT HOME

Death termed suspicious, cops investigating

On Saturday night, the woman developed labour pain. The DDHS said that during the delivery attempt at home, only the head of the baby came out and Alagammal’s health deteriorated.

She developed further complications and was rushed to Perambalur government hospital in an ambulance.

The woman had developed liver and renal complications while her uterus was damaged since the baby had decomposed, the official said. Despite treatment, Alagammal’s condition worsened with blood platelets declining drastically and she had to be referred to Trichy MGMGH. She died of medical complications on Sunday. While the woman’s body was kept in the government hospital for medical examination, the family allegedly demanded that it be handed over immediately. “We have registered a case for death under suspicious circumstances. Based on further investigation and reports from the health department, we may alter the section,” Nisha Parthiban, Perambalur superintendent of police, told TOI. An RDO inquiry will also be conducted, police sources said.

Kerala nurses hit by Covid denied wages in Mumbai

Kerala nurses hit by Covid denied wages in Mumbai

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Thiruvananthapuram:30.12.2020

A group of nurses from Kerala voluntarily working in Mumbai hospitals to tackle the Covid-19 crisis have complained that they were denied wages during the leave of absence caused after contracting the infection. They have now sought the Kerala government’s help for the restoration of wages.

A medical team from Kerala had been helping Mumbai hospitals since May and around 50 nurses from the state are working in Covid centres. “We had come along with the medical team in May when there was a shortage of nurses here. We have been working relentlessly and acquired the infection while on duty,” said a nurse.

After going on medical leave, however, they were “denied all medical benefits including medical leave during the period under treatment and quarantine,” said Rohit Krishna, working with a Covid centre at Bandra.

Covid centres in Mumbai have been attached to different hospitals and the nurses working there have entered into a three-month contract with these facilities. “The management, has informed us that ours is a contractual appointment and no employer-employee relationship will be encouraged. Due to the contractual appointment, our wages are much higher than that of other nurses, which is why paid leave could not be sanctioned during the quarantine period,” Krishna said.

These nurses have written to Kerala chief minister and health minister seeking their intervention in resolving the crisis. “We approached the district administration and other health authorities in Mumbai but didn’t get any help. Many of the nurses are keeping silent about the ordeal fearing they might lose the job,” Krishna added.

Illegal Nursing admission: Uttarakhand HC imposes Rs 5 lakh fine on Dehradun-based medical college

Illegal Nursing admission: Uttarakhand HC imposes Rs 5 lakh fine on Dehradun-based medical college: Nainital: In view of alleged illegal admission to its nursing course by Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, the Uttarakhand High Court has levied a fine of Rs 5 lakh on the...

Nurse held for filming colleagues while bathing

Nurse held for filming colleagues while bathing

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:12.12.2020

A 25-year-old staff nurse of a prestigious hospital, who allegedly filmed her colleagues when they were bathing, has been arrested.

The suspect is Ashwini, a staff nurse who lives in the hospital’s women’s hostel in Whitefield. She used to send the footage to her boyfriend, said police, who have summoned him for questioning to find out what he was doing with the videos.

According to police, the incident came to light on December 5 when security staff noticed a mobile phone capturing the video of a nurse in a bathroom. The hostel management approached police on Tuesday and filed a complaint against the suspect.

According to the complaint filed by the hostel incharge, Ashwini works in the hospital’s emergency wing. “Our security staff noticed a mobile phone kept on a window capturing a video of one of our colleagues while she was bathing around 6.45pm on December 5. We found the video when we checked the phone’s photo gallery. We were shocked to find several videos of many of our colleagues,” the complainant stated.

The hostel authorities found the phone belonged to Ashwini as it had her sim card and contact list. She was booked under IPC section 354C (voyeurism).

Paramedical admissions: 10k seats still vacant

Paramedical admissions: 10k seats still vacant

08.12.2020

Ahmedabad: The admission committee has decided to hold the third round of admission for paramedical courses for physiotherapy and nursing at the under-graduation level after the admission process for medical and dental courses is completed. After the second round of admission, there are 9,963 seats that have still remained vacant. There are 34 colleges offering physiotherapy and nursing courses, which have received approval while 37 colleges are still awaiting approval. The admission committee began the first round of admission for 23,207 seats in different colleges across the state. TNN

Nurses oppose draft bill, seek removal of some categories

Nurses oppose draft bill, seek removal of some categories

Sunitha.Rao@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru: 08.12.2020

Nurses’ associations in Karnataka have raised objections to the Centre’s draft National Nursing, Midwifery Commission (NNMC) Bill, 2020 and demanded that categories like ‘nursing assistant’, ‘midwifery associate’ and ‘home-based care personnel’ be excluded from its abmit as they are not equivalent to nurses.

December 6 was the last date to file objections to the draft legislation, and the Trained Nurses Association of India, Karnataka chapter, has sent them. Karnataka is among the states with a large number of nursing colleges; at least 50,000 nurses come out of 1,200 institutions per year.

Girijamba Devi, general secretary, Trained Nurses’ Association, Karnataka chapter, said the draft bill has led to various concerns. “A midwife is a nurse, but not a midwifery associate. Similarly, a nursing assistant can’t be called nurse. If the bill continues to have such terms, it misleads the public,” she added.

“By coining these terms, we are afraid the system may end up having cheap labourers hired as nurses. A qualified nurse who deserves a better salary package will not be recruited. This can only dilute the profession,” another nurse told TOI.

These candidates have lower qualification than current nursing levels and bring down the quality of healthcare, nurses said, adding that creating the said cadres of nursing personnel creates confusion and they must be removed. The association members also say the draft bill doesn’t mention the salary package for Indian nurses. “While we are battling in the Supreme Court for a fixed salary of Rs 20,000 in the beginning of a nurse’s career, the draft is silent over the issue. Nurses are working for less than Rs 10,000 in many places,” the nurses said.

The draft bill has seen objections from across the country, including the All India Government Nurses Federation (AIGNF). “While drafting the bill, the ministry of health and family welfare should have listened to and taken the views of all stakeholders. Nearly 95% of nurses work in clinical, public health domain and their view should not be overlooked in the process of drafting the bill. A few nursing educators can’t decide the future of the whole profession in India,” say AIGNF members.

The federation in its letter of objections mentions that the patient’s welfare and steady growth of the nursing profession are missing in the draft. Though AIGNF is a big stakeholder in the nursing profession, no member was included in the committee for drafting the bill, federation members say.

The nurses added that the proposed National Nursing and Midwifery Commission, which will have no election for its members, will be totally controlled by central government nominees. “No elected members and no representation from clinical nurses and public health nurses means no democracy,” the nurses said, adding it must have elected members.

Girijamba Devi, general secretary, Trained Nurses’ Association, Karnataka chapter, said a midwifery assistant may have done a skill-based course but should not be mistaken for a nurse, who deals with patients in the best interest of public health

Home nurses, bed-ridden patients find going tough

 Home nurses, bed-ridden patients find going tough

Greeshma.GopalGiri@timesgroup.com

Kochi:07.12.2020

Satheesan K, a resident of Alappuzha district, works as a male home nurse and attends to bedridden patients. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, he finds it difficult to find job.

“Both home nurses and families of patients are a worried lot. Friends and family members visit bedridden elderly citizens. We cannot ask them whether they are Covid negative or not. When visitors test positive, both the patients and care givers are in trouble. If a home nurse or patient turns positive or becomes a primary contact, then the family will find it difficult to find a replacement for the home nurse,” Satheesan said.

Home nurses express their unwillingness to work for a long period of time. They say that families employing them are reluctant to send them home for a break due to the fear of turning Covid-19 positive.

Mary Albert, a home nurse from Palluruthy says, “This is a strenuous work, especially when dealing with paralyzed patients. Family members do not want us to take a break and go home. They think that our interactions with public and our family members would lead to us getting infected. Though I need work and money, I choose to stay away from working as home nurse for the time being.”

Meanwhile, people say that getting experienced home nurses and care providers has become difficult since the outbreak of the pandemic. When a home nurse leaves, getting a replacement is a tedious process.

S Seena, a teacher, who has sought services of a home nurse for her mother-in-law, said, “In the last three months, I had to employ five people. Nobody was willing to stay even for a month. I checked with agencies in Ernakulam, Kottayam, Alappuzha and Idukki to get a female home nurse. I have been noticing this pattern since the outbreak of Covid-19.”

Even private agencies who provide such services are finding it difficult to rope in trained people.

“Its mostly people who are in desperate need of money opt to take up the work. There are many instances where they leave the work and come back within few weeks. There are also cases of families reporting about Covid-infected home nurses,” said a manger of elderly care service providing centre in Kochi.

Getting experienced home nurses and care providers has become difficult since the outbreak of the pandemic

Nurse who would be doctor!

Nurse who would be doctor!

TRAINED AT CIVIL, POISED TO FINISH PHD IN GERMANY

Parth.Shastri@timesgroup.com

Ahmedabad:  08.11.2020 

Come 2021, and Krupali Patel, a native of Vadodara, who was trained as a nurse at Civil Hospital, will receive her doctoral degree from University of Bonn in Germany! Krupali is currently working on her thesis on zoonotic diseases and understanding the transmission of superbugs such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from animals to humans and vice versa.

Patel, the daughter of a lab technician and homemaker in Vadodara, recently connected with students and researchers at her alma mater, Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar (IIPHG), in a webinar, sharing her experiences.

“I got interested in the healthcare sector and pursued a diploma in nursing, followed by a BSc degree,” recounts Krupali. “But I wanted to go beyond the routine and got an opportunity to work on a project linking WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) with maternal mortality rate (MMR) in India and Bangladesh.”

The project got her interested in public health and she enrolled in the Master in Public Health (MPH) course at IIPH-G. Her interest in zoonotic diseases (diseases spread from animals to humans) and drug-resistant bacteria continued even after her graduation, as she got selected in a very competitive process for a doctoral study at the Centre for Development Research at University of Bonn.

“My focus is on MRSA and factors affecting it such as weather conditions. I collected the samples from 300 households in Ahmedabad keeping cattle in different seasons and studied the distribution pattern,” she said. “The data analysis is on, and I am hopeful of submitting my findings soon.”

Deepak Saxena, a professor at IIPH-G and mentor to Patel, said that she’s working in a field less explored. “In India and elsewhere, the superbug study model is primarily hospital-based. But she has taken the community health approach where she has taken samples from animals and humans to understand the spread pattern of the drug-resistant bacteria,” he said. “I am sure it would add a new dimension to how we look at the subject in the context of India.”

Krupali Patel

TOI IMPACT

Nursing student gets offer of help from RGUHS registrar

Mangaluru: 29.10.2020 

Help came pouring in for 21-year-old Buddana Gowda, a nursing student from Badami taluk in Bagalkot, within hours of a report being published in The Times of India under the headline ‘Nursing student tuns mason to save for fees’ on Wednesday. Many readers have volunteered to lend financial assistance to the young man to help realise his dream.

To fulfil his dream of practising medicine, Gowda is working as a mason in Udupi to save money to pay the fees for his course. Shivanand Kapashi, registrar of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) said: “RGUHS is offering a scholarship for students from this academic year. Though the last date is past, the varsity will consider Gowda’s case as a special one.”

Many TOI readers have reached out to Gowda via email, expressing their wish to help him. TNN

No phasing out nursing diploma course: Centre

No phasing out nursing diploma course: Centre

Hemali.Chhapia@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:  29.10.2020 

In a huge respite for nursing aspirants across the county, the ministry of health and family welfare has “not found feasible” the plan to stop the popular General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) course. This means, the Indian Nursing Council, which has stopped giving permission to start new GNM colleges across India since 2019 to phase out the diploma programme from 2020-21 academic year, will have to roll back its plan.

The GNM course, which has produced close to 1.2 lakh nurses so far, is a popular entry point for thousands of humanities and commerce high school graduates who want to shift to health sciences. Around 3,000 GNM nursing schools across the country offer the three-year diploma programme.

According to a March 14 notification issued by the council, the last admission for the GNM course was to be the 2020-21 academic year. But, several nursing associations had expressed concerns that the closure would have led to a shortage of nursing staff, especially in rural areas. There was to be an economic impact too as the Indian Nursing Council (INC) had plans to upgrade all GNM colleges to BSc nursing institutes, which would have meant that aspirants would have had to shell out more for a nursing degree.

“The matter has been examined in the ministry and it has not been found feasible to stop entry to GNM courses at this stage, and the proposal has not been acceded to,” said the ministry’s circular, a copy of which is with TOI.

INC member Ramling Mali said, “GNM graduates are more willing to work in rural areas, as also in non-branded hospitals. The notification from the ministry to not permit the discontinuation of the GNM course rings respite to thousands of nursing aspirants.”

Many feel that healthcare costs would have risen too. A BSc degree costs Rs 3-5 lakh, while a GNM course costs about Rs 1 lakh. While the academic eligibility for BSc demands science in class XII, GNM is open to even those from non-science backgrounds.

“Upgrading GNM centres to BSc colleges and training the faculty would have all had a bearing on the total fees which would have made this course out of reach for many. For the rather poorer section of the society, the professional degree of nursing is all that they can afford,” said Dr Balasaheb Pawar, president of Maharashtra’s Private Nursing Schools and College Managements’ Association. He said he received support from Dr Bharti Pawar, who is nominated to the INC as a member of the Lok Sabha.