(a) whether the Government has taken note of various agitations and representations made by nurses and nurses organisations in the recent past seeking improvement in miserable working conditions of nurses, particularly in private hospitals across the country and if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether the Government has received a number of complaints regarding treatment of nurses as bonded labourers, payment of low salary, long working hours, lack of medical facilities, demand of sums for job placement abroad etc.;
(c) if so, the details thereof and the action taken/proposed to be taken by the Government against the erring institutions during the last three years and the current year;
(d) whether the Government proposes to bring uniform policy for Government as well as private hospitals to fix minimum wages and working hours for nurses and to improve conditions of nursing professions in the country; and
(e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor? |
| ANSWER |
THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (DR. HARSH VARDHAN)
(a) to (e) : Yes. The matter pertaining to improving and regulating the service conditions of the nurses working in the private hospitals in the country comes under the purview of the State Governments in which the private hospitals are located.
However, on the basis of matters raised in the Parliament, the debate in Public Interest Litigation Writ Petition No. 430/2011 in the Hon’ble Supreme Court and references received from various sections of society, all the State Governments have been requested, vide letters dated 7th July, 2010 and 24th February, 2012 to take necessary measures for enacting a comprehensive Legislation for improvement of service conditions of nurses including those working in the private sector.
Further, Indian Nursing Council has taken initiatives and issued a circular on 23rd September, 2011 to all the State Governments stipulating that if the unethical practice of obtaining service bond/forcefully retaining the original certificate of the student comes to notice then in that event penal action would be taken against such erring institutions. |
|
|
