PMK slams TN govt for abolishing over 500 nursing posts

PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss on Tuesday, August 4, strongly condemned the Tamil Nadu government's decision to abolish 502 nursing positions across state medical colleges and public health departments, calling it a "betrayal" of election promises to fill government vacancies.

In a press statement, Anbumani criticised the state's move to shift existing nurses to other facilities under the guise of managing staff shortages, rather than recruiting new personnel.

"From primary health centers to government medical college hospitals, Tamil Nadu is facing a severe shortage of nurses. 

The solution is to fill the vacant posts, not to shuffle nurses from one place to another to handle the crisis. This practice severely impacts patients in rural areas," the PMK leader said.

Citing a government order issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department on July 21, Anbumani said 30 nursing posts each had been abolished across seven medical colleges Namakkal, Krishnagiri, Tiruppur, Nilgiris, Ariyalur, Kallakurichi and Tiruvallur. 

He said the 210 nurses working in these posts were subsequently transferred to offset shortages at Stanley, Chengalpattu, Salem and Trichy medical college hospitals.

"Similarly, to staff 17 Emergency Care and Recovery Centres for mental health and rehabilitation requiring 292 nurses, the state government abolished 100 posts in government hospitals and 192 posts in the Public Health Department instead of making fresh appointments," he alleged.

Highlighting the strain on the healthcare system, Anbumani noted that government hospitals currently operate with only a quarter of the strength mandated by regulatory bodies such as the National Medical Commission.

He said fewer than 1,400 permanent nurses are deployed across 2,334 Primary Health Centres 1,832 rural and 504 urban in the state.

He further said over 6,500 nurses recruited through the Medical Services Recruitment Board (MRB) are working on a consolidated pay basis for minimal wages. By eliminating permanent vacancies, he alleged, the government is depriving these contract nurses, many of whom have served for over nine years of the opportunity to secure permanent employment, causing widespread demoralisation.

Anbumani urged the state government to immediately withdraw the government order, restore the abolished positions, and fulfil its promise by filling all existing nursing vacancies permanently.

(With inputs from PTI)