Deepa Suryanarayan, Daily News & Analysis, May 25, 2010 This is what the government could classify as a ‘health crisis’. According to the Union health ministry, India is currently facing a shortage of over 60% nurses. In fact, in few public hospitals in the city, the nurse-patient ratio is about 1:60 in the evening and night shifts. According to the Nursing Council of India, there are around 10.35 lakh nurses registered with them, but only 40% are in active service. “The nurse-patient ratio is extremely strained and possibly the worst when compared to other developed countries,” said Thresiamma Sugathan, president, Trained Nurses Association ... Public

Press Trust of India, October 22, 2009 Dehradun - Nurses in government hospitals of Uttarakhand abstained from duty during the second shift of the day for the second consecutive day today to press for their demands, including removal of pay disparity and higher allowances. Uttarakhand Nurses Services Association general secretary Anjana Bhowmik said their protest would continue till their demands are met. The nurses are demanding an increase in their uniform and washing allowances and removal of pay disparity between them and other government employees. Meanwhile, hospital authorities have pressed trainee nurses to minimise the impact of protest on medical services.

Vidya Krishnan Indian Express, May 27, 2009 New Delhi - Asked to resign for speaking in their native language, two nurses of the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital have approached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Labour Ministry. “We want this harassment to end. The hospital should not have such a clause. This is the second such incident reported from the hospital,” Usha Krishna Kumar, president of the Malyalee Nurses Association and wife of former Union Minister S Krishna Kumar, said. ... Nurses

Little About, May 27, 2009 Talk may be cheap but it might have cost two nurses at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in New Delhi their jobs. The two nurses were reprimanded for speaking in Malayalam on hospital premises, which is against its rules. Though they allege that they were asked to resign, the hospital has denied any such move, insisting that they are “still with the hospital”. The two nurses will approach the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) over the issue. The nurses, who were on intensive care unit duty at the Cardio Thoracic Vascular Surgery ward, on Monday afternoon, greeted each other in the hospital lobby in Malayalam. ... Native

Sreelekha Nair, NewsBlaze, May 26,2009 As Suja, 24, nervously boarded the train her mobile phone rang. "It's Nimmi calling," she announced to her family - mother, father and brother - and friends, who were busy adjusting her luggage under her seat in the second class sleeper coach of the train. "So, she is already at the station," remarked her friend Bindu, a final year nursing student. Just then the Kerala Express showed signs of pulling out from the small station of Thiruvalla, from where Suja had completed her diploma course in nursing and midwifery and from where her loved ones were now seeing her off. ... Kerala

IANS, May 26, 2009 New Delhi - Two nurses, who were asked to resign for speaking to each other in Malayalam at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital here, will now take up the matter with the National Human Right's Commission (NHRC). Hospital authorities, however, said the two are 'still with the hospital'. The nurses, Jenny Joseph and Laila Menon (names changed), were posted in the ICU of the Cardio Thoracic Vascular Surgery (CTVS) ward. Reporting for afternoon duty at 1:45 PM Monday, the two greeted each other at the lift lobby in Malayalam, not realising that the nursing superintendent Usha Bannerjee was behind them. ... Nurses

Kerala Online, May 26, 2009 New Delhi - Two Malayalee nurses were fired from their respective jobs after the Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals on Monday asked them to submit resignation when they were caught speaking in Malayalam inside hospital. Both the nurses who were posted in ICU of the Cardio Thoracic Vascular Surgery (CTVS) department, said they will take their case to the National Human Rights Commission on Tuesday, challenging the hospital’s decision. According to the nurses they had arrived for the afternoon shift at 1:45 PM. ... Slip

Vishal Dutta, Economic Times, November 6, 2008 Ahmedabad - Nurses in India are eagerly waiting for the new government to form in the US. A special visa-EB 3 Schedule A, which is yet to get Senate nod, is expected to ease the entry of qualified nurses to that country. According to the Overseas Healthcare Staffing Association of India (OHSAI), the US would need nearly 1 million nurses and over 24,000 doctors by 2020. Currently, there are over 12,000 Indian nurses waiting for the visa norms to relax so as to migrate to the US. The number is far less than the current demand in the US for nurses. ... New

Somak Sen, Merinews, November 4, 2008 Kolkata - The Nilratan Sarkar Medical College and Hospital (NRS) in Kolkata saw a vehement protest by a group of staff nurses on Monday (November 3) as one of their colleague, Kaveri Bhowmik died there on October 22. The staff nurses also sent a deputation to LK Ghosh, the Medical Superintendent on Monday and demanded a judicial probe for the reason of Kaveri’s death. Bhowmik, one of the staff nurses of NRS was admitted to the NRS hospital on October 20 as she was suffering from an unidentified fever. But she died just two days after the admission. ... NRS

Express News Service, November 4, 2008 Kolkata - Protesting against the death of their colleague, a few nurses at the NRS Medical College and Hospital submitted a deputation to Medical Superintendent LK Ghosh on Monday, asking him to probe the reason behind her death. Staff Nurse Kaveri Bhowmik was down with fever and admitted to the hospital on October 20. But she died two days later. While the death certificate says Bhowmik had suffered a stroke, fellow nurses claim she showed the symptoms of dengue or encephalitis. ... After

Times of India, July 28, 2008 Jaipur - The deadlock between agitating nurses association and the administration at SMS hospital has shown a sign of breakthrough after senior health officials has agreed to reconsider the issue of transfer of nurses. The nurses have been on protest for nearly three weeks now, following the mass transfer of nurses from SMS hospital. ... Nurses

Express News Service, June 27, 2007 Lucknow - While the recent row over the appointment of nurses is still not over, the Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University is facing a crisis of trained nurses. The hospital, which already has less number of sanctioned posts as compared to its requirement, does not even have all the present posts filled. Moreover, recently, many nurses took their due leaves at the same time, thus leaving most of the departments to function on a single staff. There are around 282 positions for nurses at the Gandhi Memorial and Associated Hospital of CSMMU. Sources said that out of these, around 38 are lying vacant. As a result, around 244 nurses are expected to handle 2,200 beds in three shifts. ... CSMMU

Times of India, June 25, 2007 Lucknow - Candidates who had come to appear in interview for nurses-on-contract at CMO office on Sunday created ruckus and blocked the road connecting Balrampur Hospital and Shahid Smarak. District magistrate Chandra Bhanu ordered cancellation of the selection process till further instructions on the ground that prescribed rules and regulations were not followed. The selection was conducted by the district medical office. Nurses from various parts of the city and other districts gathered at the chief medical office to face an interview. They were to be posted at community health centres under the urban reproductive and child health programme of the Union government. Alleging bungling and demand of ‘cuts', the nurses created ruckus at CMO office. ... Nurses

Calcutta Telegraph, April 24, 2007 Ranchi - Over an hour of dialogue with health minister Bhanu Pratap Sahi put an end to the on-going agitation of contract nurses at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS). The state government pledged to pay heed to their grievances during the meet that was also attended by special secretary Nidhi Khare and RIMS director NN Agarwal. Representatives of the contract nurses’ association were also present at the deliberation. The 396-odd nurses who have been working for the past four years have been staging dharnas and protests since April 16 to make their services permanent. ... Satisfied

Tender floated at RIMS amid indefinite strike threat. Calcutta Telegraph, April 23, 2007 Ranchi - With no positive outcome of their on-going agitation, contract nurses of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), today threatened an indefinite strike from May 1. The 396-odd nurses appointed on contract basis in September 2003 for a one-year period are now demanding permanent employment at RIMS. Once permanent, they would be entitled to various perks like house allowances and clothes allowances, among others. These nurses are at present staging a peaceful agitation by organising a dharna in front of the office of RIMS director NN Agarwal. ... Contract