Lok Sabha Question No. 2182 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-15
Subject: Job opportunities to Trained Nurses
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Sanjeev Kumar Singari

## GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2182 TO BE ANSWERED ON 15th DECEMBER, 2023

## JOB OPPORTUNITIES TO TRAINED NURSES

## 2182: DR SANJEEV KUMAR SINGARI:

Will the Minister of HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has taken steps to ensure more job opportunities for trained nurses along with justified wages and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether there is shortage of qualified M.Sc. faculty along with lack of equipment and infrastructure for training nurses in existing nursing colleges;
- (c) if so, the details thereof along with necessary steps taken in this regard; and
- (d) the details of the funds allocated to nursing schools in Andhra Pradesh under the Central Sector Scheme since its inception in 2021?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OFSTATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (Dr. BHARATI PRAVIN PAWAR)

- (a) The Union Cabinet has approved a centrally sponsored scheme 'Augmenting Nursing EducationEstablishment of new Colleges of Nursing (CoN) in co-location with Medical Colleges' to establish 157 new nursing colleges. These nursing colleges will provide significant job opportunities for the trained nurses as faculties.

The Central/State governments recruits nurses as per the recruitment rules and pays salary/allowance to them as per the applicable pay levels. The same are revised periodically through Pay Commissions. The payments to Nurses may differ in private healthcare settings and therefore to ensure decent payments to the nurses working in private hospitals/institutes, a Committee was constituted in February 2016, as per the directions of Hon ' ble Supreme Court to look into the issues of pay and working conditions of the nurses working in private hospitals/institutes. The recommendations of the Committee have been forwarded by this Ministry to all States/UTs for making legislation / guidelines in this regard. The recommendations of the Committee are as follows:-

- i. In case of >200 bedded hospitals, salary given to private nurses should be at par with the salary of State Govt. nurses given in the concerned State/ UT for the similar corresponding grade.
- ii. In case of >100 bedded hospitals, salary given to private nurses should not be more than 10% less in comparison of the salary of State Govt. nurses given in the concerned State/ UTs for the similar corresponding grade.
- iii. ln case of 50-100 bedded hospitals, salary given to private nurses should not be more than 25% less in comparison of the salary of State Govt. nurses given in the concerned State/UTs for the similar corresponding grade.
- iv. Salary given to private nurses should not be less than Rs. 20000/- pm in any case even for <50 bedded hospitals.
- v. Working conditions viz. leaves, working hours, medical facilities, transportation, accommodation etc. given to nurses should be at par with the benefits granted to State Govt. nurses working in the concerned State/UTs.

(b) &(c) As per the Indian Nursing Council (INC) records, there are 711 M.Sc.(N) institutes with admission capacity of 14,487 M.Sc (N) seats. These institutes have been granted suitability by INC as per the set standards and guidelines ensuring availability of desired infrastructure and faculty in the institutes. Further, steps taken by INC to address shortage of M.Sc faculty and quality of teaching are at Annexure-I .

(d) An amount of Rs. 47,98,500/- have been released to Andhra Pradesh since 2021 for training of nurses under the sub-component of Central Sector Scheme 'Development of Nursing Services'.

## Annexure-I

## Steps taken by INC to address shortage of M.Sc faculty and quality of teaching

- (i) The student teacher ratio for M.Sc.(N) programme has been relaxed from 1:5 to1:10
- (ii) Student patient ratio for Nursing Institutions has been relaxed from 1:5 to 1:3

(iii) Distance from school to hospital has been relaxed from 15 km to 30 Km. However, for hilly and tribal areas the maximum distance is 50 Km.

(iv) Relaxation for opening M.Sc. (N) programme. Super specialty Hospital can start M.Sc. (N) without having under graduate programme.

(v) The Nurse Practitioner in Critical Care Nursing (NPCC) has been developed which prepares registered B.Sc. Nurses for advance practice roles as clinical experts, managers, educators and consultants leading to M.Sc. degree in Nursing.

(vi) National Reference simulation centre is the State of the art simulation Centre to improve the competency based training programmes. Simulation training is provided to the teachers with M.Sc (N) for strengthening nursing education to support the clinical training in B.Sc Nursing Curriculum.

(vii) Nurse Practitioner in Midwifery (NPM), a PG programme initiative has been taken to create a new cadre of midwives titled ' Nurse Practitioner Midwife ' (NPM) who are skilled in accordance with ICM competencies, knowledgeable and competent in providing Compassionate, respectful, women centered care. These midwifery service will essentially be provided through an evidence-based model of care termed ' Midwife Led Care Units '

(viii) A National consortium for Ph.D in Nursing has been constituted by Indian Nursing Council in collaboration with Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences under the Faculty of Nursing to promote doctoral education in various fields of Nursing for M.Sc students.

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