Question : PROBLEM OF NURSING PROFESSIONALS IN PRIVATE HOSPITALS

(a) whether the Government has received any complaints regarding the grievances of nurses working in the private sector hospitals and other health institutions across the country;

(b) if so, the details thereof during the last three years and the current year and the action taken by the Government thereon;

(c) whether complaints have also been received about fleecing of nurses by private recruitment agencies who demand exorbitant sums from them for job placements abroad and if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether the Government proposes to undertake a comprehensive study of the matter in order to issue guidelines for taking concrete measures to alleviate their problems, including measures to check the unfair practices of employers by withholding original certificates and insisting upon bonds etc. and if so, the details thereof; and

(e) the further corrective steps taken by the Government to address the grievances of working nurses in private sector?

MINISTER OF THE STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI GHULAM NABI AZAD)

(a) to (e): Complaints have been received from various quarters, regarding service conditions of nurses. However, no complaints have been received regarding fleecing of nurses by private recruitment agencies. Health being a State subject, the matter pertaining to improving and regulating the service conditions of nurses working in the private hospitals comes under the purview of the State Government in which the private hospitals are located. All the State Governments have been asked, vide letters dated 7th July, 2010 and 24th February, 2012 to take necessary measures for enacting a comprehensive Legislation for improvement of service conditions including the nurses working in the private sector.

Further, Indian Nursing Council has taken an initiatives and issued a circular on 23rd September, 2011 to all the State Governments stipulating that in case the unethical practice of obtaining service bond/forcefully retaining the original certificate of the student comes to notice then penal action would be taken against such erring institutions.