“The nurses are overworked and are paid a paltry Rs 7,700. Their services should have been regularised after three years,” he said. Rama completed a postgraduate in nursing and was confident of getting a job in a private hospital with a decent salary. 

But her dreams crashed when she received a job offer for Rs 12,000 in a reputed hospital in Chennai. S Vijayalakshmi, vice-president, Trained Nurses Association of India, says the plight of nurses like Rama is one of the less-highlighted problems in the city. 

She says, “Many GHs go for nurses with diploma and years of experience, while post-graduate nurses are not even considered for their qualification. The situation is worse when some of them avail loan for education and have to repay it when they start working.” 

She says that while one may assume private hospitals are good pay masters, the reality is a different story. “Even reputed hospitals pay just Rs 12,000 and others offer as low as Rs 7,000. Why would qualified nurses want to put in long hours and do extended night duty for pittance?” she asks.