The government and private hospitals can no longer run away for their responsibility of providing nurses with a decent wage and proper working conditions. The court was hearing a petition filed by the Indian Professional Nurses Association which submitted that nurses were literally “being treated as bonded labourers”. This may, or may not be the case with private hospitals in the
State, but the labour department needs to conduct a survey and ascertain the true status of this work force. Daily wage rules generally set the benchmark for most employment categories,
but not enough is being done to ensure that the rules
are followed.
There are instances where employees are made to sign
vouchers for a higher amount than what they receive. Talks for
higher wages are already underway but a consensus is yet to be
reached. Also, the process for arriving at a just wage for nurses
must include all stakeholders, especially hospital owners who
have the onerous task of raising revenue through services in a
highly competitive market. It also needs to be said that wage
increases could materalise if the universal mediclaim scheme,
which is still in the pipeline, becomes a reality.
