COIMBATORE: In a major relief to thousands of nurses who annually pass out of recognised private nursing institutions, the Tamil Nadu Government has agreed to recruit them in State-run hospitals and medical colleges.Hitherto, only nursing students who had studied in government nursing schools and colleges were appointed as nurses in government medical institutions.The decision comes in the backdrop of a seven-year-long legal battle fought through multiple litigations in the Madras High Court and the Supreme Court by students of both private and government colleges.The government too had received a “constant stream of petitions” from private college nurses.In an order issued late last week, State Principal Secretary (Health) Girija Vaidyanathan had pointed out that private nursing students too appeared for the same examination conducted by the Director of Medical Education along with government nursing college students.Citing various representations and court orders, she said, “Hence the government has decided that in future, all vacant post of nurses in all government medical institutions shall be filled from among the trained nurses both in government institutions and government-approved private nursing institutions by conducting an examination by Medical Services Recruitment Board.”Welcoming the decision, a group of students has demanded that while recruiting private nurses, the State government must insist on their nativity certificates to ensure regional balance.Acting on a petition from a few private nursing students in April 2006, the Madras High Court (HC) had directed the government not to discriminate between private and government nursing candidates during appointment to State-run hospitals and Primary Health Centres.However, a group of government nursing college students had successfully challenged this before a Division Bench.In 2009-10, some private nurses unsuccessfully challenged the decision. The Tamil Nadu Recognised Private Nursing Schools and Colleges Association also filed a petition supporting their cause.Last year, the Madurai Bench of the HC directed the government to consider the case of the private nursing students. This was again challenged and in September 2011, the court quashed the earlier judgment.This prompted private nurses to move a Special Leave Petition before the Supreme Court, which in November 2011 stayed the HC order.Now holding that present process of recruitment of nurses trained in Government Nursing Institutions alone “will run contrary to Article 16 (1) of the Constitution,” the government has agreed to recruit them. This decision, nonetheless, would be subject to the outcome of the SLP in the Supreme Court.
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