CHENNAI: PMK founder S Ramadoss on Saturday urged the Tamil Nadu government to immediately regularise contract nurses working in government hospitals and extend them all service benefits, including equal pay.

In a statement, Ramadoss said that around 13,000 nurses are currently employed on contract in the State health department, in addition to nearly 17,000 permanent nurses. Contract nurses are paid a consolidated salary of Rs 18,000 per month, despite performing the same duties as permanent staff, he said.

Terming the disparity unjust, Ramadoss said nurses could discharge their responsibilities with commitment and compassion only when they are paid fair and satisfactory wages. “Paying lower salaries to nurses doing identical work amounts to a grave injustice.

Contract nurses have been protesting for the past four months, demanding regularisation and equal pay for equal work,” he said.

Referring to past legal precedents, Ramadoss said nurses recruited through the Medical Services Recruitment Board in 2015 had approached the Madras High Court seeking service benefits, and the court ruled in their favour. The apex court, he added, also rejected the State’s appeal and directed the government to extend the benefits.

He further condemned the arrest of around 750 nurses who staged a hunger protest in Chennai on December 18, demanding the withdrawal of the appeal and the implementation of regularisation. Calling the arrests “unwarranted,” Ramadoss urged the government to resolve the issue without suppressing democratic protests.