The Maharashtra government’s order of outsourcing hirings for 1,749 of the 4,500 nurses in the state has created a stir. Nursing students have come forward to protest against the order claiming injustice against them. On Monday, the nurses stopped working from 7.30 am to 8.30 am at government medical colleges and hospitals. They plan to protest till the demands are met.
Currently, there are 4500 vacancies for nurses under the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER). According to the new order, out of these vacancies, 1,749 seats are to be filled by outsourcing nurses from a private agency.
The government nurses are against the decision and come forward to stop the alleged privatisation of the hiring process. The protesting students claim that the private agency hires candidates who are ready to work at low salaries and not give the job to most deserving people. Hiring by a private firm can lead to exploitation of the nurses.
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Last month, a resolution was passed by the state government to allow the hiring of nurses on a contractual basis through a private agency. The decision did not go well with the nursing students and nursing association and they decided to go for a state-wide protest. They have even threatened an indefinite strike from Saturday if the new order is not scrapped.
DMER has conducted a round of meetings with the nursing association and has appealed to them to call off the strike and ensured that permanent hiring will take place soon. However, no official statement is out yet on the withdrawal of the order by the DMER.
Meanwhile, for admission to nursing courses too, students will have to clear NEET. Earlier NEET was only mandatory for MBBS and BDS courses.
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