Nursing is top priority profession now, says Azad

NEW DELHI - Calling nursing profession a top priority, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad Wednesday said the government will soon be opening 169 new nursing schools in the country.

This, he said, is a part of a series of initiatives being taken to overcome shortage of nurses in the country.

“We are now giving top priority to nursing services in India. We have taken major initiatives over the past one year to overcome the shortage (of nurses),” Azad said at a function here.

Urging nurses to pay attention to the rural sector, Azad said: “I appeal to all present here to motivate and encourage nurses to serve in rural areas.”

“As the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi rightly remarked, the real India lives in rural areas and serving them should be the top most priority,” he added.

India at present has nearly 10 lakh registered nurses, of whom only 40 percent are in active service. Based on estimates by different agencies, around 10 lakh more nurses are required in the country.

“Care will be taken to open these schools in districts where there are no such schools at present, so that all districts have at least one school of nursing in the next two years,” Azad added.

For training auxiliary (helping) nurses and midwives, 132 schools will be opened at an estimated cost of Rs.5 crore per school while 137 schools at an estimated cost of Rs.10 crore per school will be opened for training general nurses and midwives.

In addition, six nursing colleges, costing Rs. 20 crore each, would be opened. Besides, nursing councils which are responsible for setting standard for training of nurses, midwives and health visitors will be strengthened in 14 states at a cost of Rs.1 crore per state.

“We are also facilitating the opening of new nursing schools and colleges by liberalising norms for setting up of new institutions,” Azad said.

He added that 75,000 nursing staff have already been added in states through the National Rural Health Mission.