Nurses end stir after Minister’s word

Minister Vijaya Baskar, on Tuesday, met the protesting around 30 to 35 nurses, who represented the over 9000 protesting at the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS) since Monday morning and assured that 90 per cent of their demands would be fulfilled.

Some of the demands included the possibility of availing leaves apart from their weekly offs, maternity leaves which were not allowed till date and an increase salary, all of which were met. Stating that only the nurses who are under the National Rural Health Mission will be given a hike in salary, Director of Medical Education, who had also met the protesters, said, “Discussions have to be held on the percentage increase in salaries, following which it will be implemented.” Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar, had also said that as many as 800 to 1,000 nurses would be issued appointment letters shortly. Their salary too would be comparable to those serving with the central government. The Minister clarified to the nurses that there was a procedure which stipulated that only nurses who studied in government nursing colleges were posted at government hospitals as per their seniority.

Vijaya Baskar while admitting that there was a plea to appoint nurses from government recognised private colleges in government hospitals, said that talks were held when J Jayalalithaa was the chief minister. Subsequently, it was decided to appoint nurses from government recognised private colleges in government hospitals. However, there were no appointments till 2015, he added. 

Stating that 9,533 nurses were appointed after an amicable solution was worked out earlier, he said that nurses with diplomas, BSc or MSc degrees could write the Medical Recruitment Board examination. The nurses would be appointed on merit, he added. 

He further said that nurses across the country were appointed on contract basis only. Under the Jayalalithaa government, it was decided that nurses should work on contract basis for the first two years and then, depending on number of vacancies, regularisation of their services would be affected, he added.

He also disclosed that while services of 5,800 nurses with 7-8 years of experience were regularised, 200 others awaited orders. “We will regularise their services also within a week,” the Minister assured adding that the protesting nurses’ services also would be regularised in the vacancies created hereafter.