Maharashtra not keen on creating separate directorate for nurses
The nursing community in the government sector in Maharashtra has been demanding a separate directorate for nursing for the past 25 years or so. The Union government finally agreed to the demand and recommended to all the state governments to set up a separate nursing directorate in January this year. But, barring four, none of the states, including Maharashtra, has taken any step in this direction.
The chief of the directorate of medical education and research (DMER) Dr Pravin Shingare says that the central government has made recommendation and not issued a directive. Hence, it is not binding on state to set up a directorate.
Shringare said that there was no harm in setting up such a directorate. “Other medical branches like dental, physiotherapy, occupational therapy etc too have been demanding separate directors which is not easy to implement. Even Ayurvedic doctors are also demanding a separate university. The issue is pending with the government. I have to do justice to all the cadre involved in the medical profession,” he added.
However, this is not acceptable to the nursing community as it feels that medical education will never be able to give the desired professional dignity to nursing. Narendra Kolte, the president of the Graduate Nurses Teachers Association of Maharashtra (GNTAM), told TOI that unless nursing is separated from the other medical branches and given its identity, health services cannot be improved.
“The Central government has issued a notification for establishing a nursing cell/directorate for better management and education of nursing. This was on October 9, 2017. But the DMER is sitting on the issue,” said Kolte.
Kolte claims that the development of nursing can occur only when there is an independent body of professionals to take independent decisions for improving the nursing education as well as improving the working conditions of the nurses.
“For making any policies on nurses, they should be brought under an independent body run by nurses alone,” he said.
Source:Timesof India
