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Chennai Nurses Protest Staff Cuts
21 Jul
Summary
- Nurses demonstrated at the DMS in Chennai demanding an end to staff reduction.
- They seek creation of permanent nursing posts based on patient load.
- Authorities promised a meeting with the Health Minister soon.
Nurses affiliated with the Tamil Nadu Nurses Empowerment Association recently staged a protest at the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services in Chennai. Their demonstration focused on long-standing demands, including the immediate withdrawal of staff reduction measures and the redeployment of nursing posts implemented under a restructuring exercise.
The association highlighted a significant shortage of nurses across public health departments, government hospitals, and medical college hospitals. They are urging the government to establish permanent nursing posts in existing and new facilities, aligning with patient load and regulatory body recommendations.
Key demands include creating new promotional posts for Nursing Superintendents and regularizing nurses currently employed on a consolidated pay scale. The nurses also called for the establishment of permanent positions in six upcoming nursing colleges to ensure career progression.
Furthermore, the government's decision to fill posts via contract recruitment through the Medical Services Recruitment Board was contested. The association advocates for regularizing contract nurses and ending future consolidated pay appointments, emphasizing recruitment only for permanent roles. Representatives were assured their demands would be conveyed to the Health Minister, with a follow-up meeting anticipated shortly.
