Nursing reality: Underpaid and overworked but ignored

Mala has been a nurse for the past 13 years She entered the profession at 21 -she wanted to make a differ ence in the quality of life for others. All too often, however much to the dismay of Mala and millions of her colleagues nursing is portrayed as a sec ond-class job -for people no good enough to make the aca demic grade and become doc tors. But what others don't real ise is that nursing requires as much intelligence, empathy sense and sensitivity as mos critical jobs.Mala is on her fee 24 hours a day -she calms down a trauma patient, gives an elderly diabetic his insulin shot makes sure the young man on bed no. 3 has taken his fever medication and calms down a child with a tummy ache. She has juggled physical pressures emotional situations, and a times, mentally taxing experiences to care for her patients.
She loves her job, it gives her a sense of fulfillment, but wish es she would get acknowledged for her dedication at the govern ment hospital where she works She is unhappy about the pit tance that she is paid as salary despite her experience and the long, back-breaking hours. Bu what upsets her the most is tha despite putting in several years of service, she is not allowed to do anything apart from doling out medicines and giving pa tients a sponge bath.
Though India boasts of be ing a medical destination -a haven for low-cost innovative surgeries and cure for all ailments -nurses here are hired at laughable pay scales, con fined to minimum skill sets straitjacketed in a profession with no room for growth and lack a conducive work environ ment and infrastructure facilities. So, it's no surprise that the profession has a high attrition rate and acute shortage.
K Banumathi, member of the government nurses union in TN, pointed out that as per Indian Nursing Council norms, the nurse-patient ratio should be 1:3 for medical colleges and 1:5 for district hospitals.
However, in India, there is only one nurse for 20 to 30 pa tients. “The situation in Tamil Nadu is worse as there is one nurse for every 54 patients. The nursing institutes lack proper infrastructure and facilities and these hinder them from achieving excellence,“ she said.
According to Ravi Seetharaman, vice-president of Contract Nurses Welfare Association, the need of the hour is to revamp the nursing syllabus and ensure that it includes s k i l l e n h a n c e m e n t p ro grammes. “ Abroad, nurses can pursue courses in several fields of medicine and develop their skill sets. With a bit of training, Indian nurses can also administer anaesthesia and also double up as interventionists. Unless the health ministry takes steps to change the syllabus, not many would be willing to opt for nursing as a career choice,“ he said.