The Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) has asked the nurses of state health services attached in the associated hospital of GDMC to either join the medical college service or get back to their parent department. The medical college has asked the nurses to exercise their option till July 15. The option assumes significance in wake of the recent transfer of 25 nurses from the hospital. These transfers would have adversely affected the functioning of the biggest hospital of the state as state health department had not sent any replacement for these nurses. After protest from the association of nurses and refusal of the hospital administration to relieve them the health department stayed the transfer of these nurses on Saturday.
The Principal of GDMC, Dr Pradip Bharati Gupta said that all the nurses of the State health services working in the hospital have been given option either to join medical college service or remain in their parent department. He informed that after receipt of the options from the nurses, the college administration would distribute departments to these nurses.
The medical college is also planning to start recruitment of nurses for its associated hospital and once that happens, all the nurses attached from the state health services would be relieved. It is worth mentioning here that the medical college had invited similar option from the nurses last year also, some nurses had even submitted their option but later the matter was sent into cold store.
The President of the Uttarakhand Nursing Services Association, Krishna Rawat said that most of the nurses deployed in the associated hospital of medical college are likely to opt for the medical college service. Meanwhile voices of resentment among the nurses of state health services have started emanating. “ All the nurses of state health services should be given this option. There should be no discrimination. It means that those who happen to be deployed in Doon hospital at the time its merger into medical college would get the benefit of absorption into GDMC. The state government should also set up a district hospital in Dehradun,’’ said one of a nurse posted in Dehradun district.