Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:-

(a)        whether the country is facing an acute shortage of nurses and if so, the reasons therefor;

(b)        the actual number of nurses registered in the country as on the 1st November, 2007 and the number out of them who are actually active in the profession;

(c)        names of the States which are particularly affected by shortage of nurses; and

(d)        what effective steps are proposed to remedy the situation and by when the country is expected to achieve self sufficiency in this regard?

ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE
(SMT. PANABAKA LAKSHMI)

(a) & (c) As per the Bajaj Committee recommendations of Nurses patient ratio, 10.43 lakhs Nurses would be required by 2012. With the existing strength of live Nurses and the training capacity, 6.84 lakhs Nurses would be available by 2012. It means that there will be a shortage of 3.59 lakhs by 2012. This gap will be mostly in the States of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, and Orissa.

(c)        Total number of Nurses registered to various State Nursing Councils is 9.28 lakhs. There is no Live Register of Nurses with the State Nursing Councils. It is estimated that only 40% of Nurses are active.

(d)        The steps already taken to remedy the situation are as follows:-

(i)         Relaxed student patient ratio. The ratio has been reduced from 1:5   to 1:3

(ii)        Relaxed norms for Teaching faculty to start B.Sc(N) Programme

            At least 2 M.Sc.(N) faculty to be available Qualification and Experience has been relaxed

(iii)       Relaxation for opening M.Sc(N) programme. Super specialty Hospital  can start M.Sc(N)  without  having  undergraduate programme.

(iv)       Admission for Nursing allowed for married candidates.

(v)        Age increased for Teaching Faculty up to 70 years

(vi)       Maximum of 100 seats will be given to those parent hospitals with 300 beds without insisting on Medical College.

It will be possible to bridge the gap of 3.59 lakhs Nurses in the XI five year plan by taking further following steps for which a sum of Rs. 3188 crores has been proposed during XI Plan period: -

(i)         Establishing Auxiliary Nurse Midwifery (ANM) and General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) schools in those districts (230) which are not having both

            these training programmes.

(ii)        Establishing post graduation Nursing (M.Sc Nursing) Institutions.

(iii)       Improvement in standard of Nursing Education services and to improve the quality of health care.

(iv)       Development of a live Register with regard to Nursing Personnel in India.

(v)        Renewal of registration once in every 5 years linked with Continuing  Education

(vi)       Setting up of Standards for specialty Nurses.

(vii)      Establishment of Regional Institutes of Excellence with the objective of improving the standard on all India basis and provide opportunity to access high quality Nursing Education throughout the country.

(viii)            Strengthening of State Nursing Councils.

(ix)       Strengthening of Nursing Cells at the State level.