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‘Nurses need more respect in India’
As the president of the Association of Government Trained and Trainee Nurses, K Bhoominathan has been fighting hard to ensure better pay for nurses and also to change the way the society view them
By
migrator
migrator
Chennai
What do you have to say about the poor pay nurses receive and the extra hours they put in?
There is a long way to go. We adopted the concept of celebrating International Day for Nurses from European countries where nurses are respected and are paid well. But it is very different here. Even though the SC order mandates that nurses should be paid Rs 20,000 a month, several nurses working in government hospitals are paid only Rs 14,000. Contract nurses are being paid only Rs 7,500 per month.
What do you think is the solution to the problem nurses here face?
Generally, people think nurses are mostly female; and not many take the need for women to earn seriously. It is usually considered only as an additional income for families. If that mindset changes, there will be a lot of difference. Also, protests have not helped us - the state government should talk to the associations and work towards bringing about a solution.
On the eve of International Nurses Day, the Health Department distributed awards to nurses. What do you think about it?
It is a progressive move. The demand for nurses is increasing due to the improving healthcare in the state. The fact that service-minded people are sought after and awarded encourages others from the nursing community. This is the much-needed recognition for nurses.
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