MADURAI: Nearly 8,000 nurses are working on contract basis in Tamil Nadu in various government hospitals, medical college hospitals and Primary Health Centres in the State for more than two years now and they are all now putting their hopes on the DMK’s assembly elections manifesto which had promised that all contract-based nurses would be made permanent i.e. they will be absorbed into ‘time scale pay’.
These nurses were recruited through selection examination of the Medical Service Recruitment Board (MRB) from 2015 to 2019 and are currently working on contract basis in government healthcare institutions. They want their service to be regularized.
The Tamil Nadu MRB Nurses Empowerment Association has made a request to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Mr.M.K.Stalin to consider the nurses’ appeal to make them permanent and it had highlighted the plight of nurses who are working on contractual basis. Mr.N.Subin, association general secretary, in a press statement on 11th April 2022, had pointed out that the DMK in its election manifesto promised that all contract nurses would be made permanent and this promises has to be fulfilled.
He informed that 7,243 nurses were recruited through competitive examination of the MRB in the year 2015 and they are working in Tamil Nadu government hospitals, medical college hospitals and primary health centres. This was followed by the recruitment of 1,788 nurses in the year 2016 and 800 nurses in 2018 and 1,725 nurses in 2019.
“For a total of nearly 11,500 nurses, there are 8,000 nurses currently working on contract basis. Generally, nurses in Tamil Nadu health department are appointed on contract basis and are absorbed into ‘time pay scale’ after working on contract basis pay for two years. For about 8,000 nurses, their hopes are on the DMK government and appeals for a strong policy decision in support of nurses and midwives,” Mr.Subin has said in the press statement of Tamil Nadu MRB Nurses Empowerment Association.
It was pointed out that the nurses selected by MRB are working on contract basis under the National Health Mission. Vacancies in the Tamil Nadu government will be filled permanently after completion of two years of contract.
“As of now only about 3,000 nurses have been issued with permanent appointment order and for the rest it is still a distant dream as 4,800 nurses recruited in the years 2015 and 2016 have not been made permanent due to non-availability of vacancies in Tamil Nadu government hospitals for last six years,” the association said.
The Tamil Nadu MRB Nurses Empowerment Association has said that Tamil Nadu’s government hospitals are in first rank in the NITI Aayog report of the union government in terms of performance while TN was in 31st place in the country in nurses position. “In the 424 upgraded PHCs in Tamil Nadu, only two out of 10 nursing posts being filled as permanent posts (time pay scale) and the remaining eight posts filled on contract basis. In 1,870 additional PHCs which had four nursing posts each, not a single post is permanent and all vacancies there are filled on contract basis. So, the State government has to create new nurse posts as per the Indian Public Health Standards. Permanent nurse posts must be created in PHCs for quality medical care and the same should be in all government hospitals,” the press release said.
The association had pointed out that in the year 2006 all the nurses who worked on contract were made permanent in their respective workplaces by the then Chief Minister Dr.M.Karunanidhi and “we hope that the current DMK government will also favourably consider the appeal of contract nurses now working in government hospitals and PHCs.” Tamil Nadu MRB Nurses Empowerment Association is associated with Tamil Nadu Government Employees Association.
