Kolkata: Bengal government has recruited more than 3,000 nurses in various government hospitals and health units across the state after the Covid pandemic broke out. Around 6,000 nursing staff members would soon be recruited in phased manner to further strengthen health infrastructure.
Smriti Kana Mani, Principal of Government College of Nursing at the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital said: "Plans are being chalked out on how to recruit around 6,000 nursing staffers. More than 3,000 nursing staff members have been recruited during the Covid period. There is a total of 55,000 staff strength in the state. The number of recruitment of nurses has multiplied after the Mamata Banerjee government came to power."
More than 600 nurses from various private hospitals have resigned since September. Many of them had faced harassment by the local people after the Covid broke out. A sizable number of nursing personnel who were from Manipur, Kerala, Odisha and other states have already returned to their native place causing difficulties to the private health establishments. The nurses from Bengal who are attached to the private hospitals are preferring government jobs for better security.
A senior nursing staff member of a government medical college in the city said that many private hospitals recruit nurses with much less salary compared to government jobs. Many have expressed their willingness to join the government hospitals owing to the alleged unfavourable working conditions.
Bhaswati Mukherjee, Secretary of the Nurses' Unity, an organization of the nurses in the state said: "The recruitment of nurses during Covid period was essential and we welcome the move taken by the government. At the same time, it can be said that around 250 nurses who have passed from the West Bengal Nursing Council are yet to get a job. Apart from that almost all the trained nurses have been inducted."
According to sources, around 3,000 nurses pass out from various government and private colleges every year. During the previous Left Front regime the recruitment of nurses was not carried out on a regular basis. One had to wait 4-5 years to get a job after completing courses. The whole process has been regularized after the Mamata Banerjee government came to power.
There was a shortage of over 10,000 nurses in various state-run hospitals and health centres in the state. Considering the Covid situation the state government has decided to conduct fresh recruitment of doctors and nurses to address the dearth in many of the hospitals across the state. More than 800 medical technicians have also been recruited.