The order of the Supreme Court directing the Centre to frame guidelines to regulate working conditions of nurses in private hospitals and nursing homes and fix their wages will eventually impact on the State. 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 stake holders, 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.
