Private sector nurses to get facilities like those in govt. service

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/private-sector-nurses-to-get-facilities-like-those-in-govt-service/article9138172.ece

Lakhs of ill-paid and over-worked nurses in private hospitals and nursing homes can at last hold their heads high.

The Central government has instructed the States and Union Territories to frame laws to ensure that nurses employed in private hospitals and nursing homes enjoy working conditions on a par with government nurses. The definitive move from the government marks a major victory for private nurses who have waged a prolonged legal battle in the Supreme Court for basic human and work rights from their employers.

The Centre’s move was triggered by a scathing report from a committee — set up by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as per a Supreme Court order on January 29, 2016 — that working conditions and pay of nurses in private hospitals were “really pathetic.”

The Committee led by Dr. (Prof.) Jagdish Prasad, Director-General of Health Services, prepared the report after collecting information from various States. It found that “adequate salary and basic facilities are not provided to nurses in private hospitals and nursing homes.”

The apex court, on a batch of petitions from nurses bodies led by Trained Nurses Association of India, had ordered that the Committee’s recommendations be made into law either by the Centre or the States.

In a communication to the Chief Secretaries of all the States and Union Territories on September 20, the Union Ministry asked them to formulate the legislation and report back by October 20, 2016. The Centre wants the new law to ensure that nurses working in private hospitals with over 200 beds should be given a salary on par with that drawn by State government nurses of the corresponding grade. In private hospitals with more than 100 beds, nurses should be paid a salary not less than 10 per cent in comparison of the salary of State government nurses of similar grade.

Pay parity

In case of private hospitals with number of beds ranging between 50 and 100, the salary of nurses should not be less than 25 per cent of that drawn by government nurses of the same grade. The salary given to private nurses should not be less than Rs. 20,000 per month in any case even for nurses working with hospitals with less than 50 beds.

The working hours, medical facilities, transportation, accommodation and other benefits given to private nurses would be on a par with government nurses.

The Trained Nurses Association of India, which represents over three lakh private nurses, moved the Supreme Court in 2011 highlighting the exploitation suffered by nurses in the private sector.