Govt hospitals without nurses; appointments dragging 

• 7000 in the rank list
• Only 479 people appointed

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even when nurses from Kerala are forced to go to foreign countries in search of better salaries and opportunities, the health department is denying them the opportunity in government hospitals. Two years after the Nursing Officer Grade 2 rank list came out, less than 10 percent of the recruitment has happened.

Even though there are many vacancies in the hospitals, the District Medical Officers are not reporting them on time. Promotions are not done in time and new vacancies are not created. Vacancies arising from 200 previous promotions have also not been reported. Temporary appointments are made instead.

There are more than 7,000 people in the rank list which came into force in August 2021. However, only 479 appointments were made in 14 districts. Only a handful of appointments have been made in Idukki and Wayanad districts. Financial crisis is also said to be the reason for non-appointment. The list is valid till December 2024. Candidates hope that at least a few vacancies are reported in the meantime.

Due to the large number of patients, there is a widespread complaint that adequate care is not being provided. Hospitals in many places are functioning only because of the presence of nurses appointed temporarily through the National Health Mission-MLSP central scheme.

1200 vacancies if promotion is done

There will be vacancies if promotion to Grade I is given to those entering service in the Grade 2 cadre and this is not done in time. If the promotion is done now, there will be 1000-1200 vacancies. The Nursing Officer Grade 2 Pay Scale is ₹39,400- ₹83,000. Promotion from grade one to head nurses is going on.

Only one nurse per 100 patients

• The staffing pattern of 1961 is still being followed in government hospitals
• The rule is that there should be one nurse for every four patients in the wards
• At present there is only one nurse for every 100 patients
• It is currently not possible to have one nurse per patient in the ICU

Recruitments in each district so far

Thiruvananthapuram- 67

Kollam- 15

Pathanamthitta-13

Alappuzha -54

Kottayam -27

Idukki - 8

Ernakulam -98

Thrissur - 58

Palakkad - 38

Wayanad - 6

Kozhikode-13

Malappuram - 25

Kannur -30

Kasaragod - 27

As ratio promotion has not been done for the last seven years, there is a ban on recruitment in the field of nurses.

-SM Anas

General Secretary,

Kerala Govt. Nurses Union

The rank list has a validity of another year. All vacancies will be filled as before.

-C Subramanian,

General Secretary,

Kerala Govt. Nurses Association