Status: Not approved
Chennai: Nearly 18 months ago, the state announced it had permission from the Centre to establish 11 new nursing colleges, but the files related to these colleges are still awaiting approval from the finance department.
In April 2023, Health Minister Ma Subramanian announced that 11 new nursing colleges, each with 100 students, would be established on govt medical college campuses. The central govt agreed to cover 60% of the costs associated with setting up these colleges. “Once established, these colleges will increase the total number of govt nursing colleges in the state to 16,” Subramanian said.
The directorate of medical education, which oversees medical education in govt colleges, submitted a proposal to the state finance department a few weeks later. “They asked a few questions,” said a senior health department official. “We sent a reply, but the file hasn’t moved. They wanted to know if the Centre will fund recurring expenses such as salaries every year. Officials in the ministry told us the scheme allows funding only for the establishment of the college. So it is a one-time funding that can be used for construction of buildings,” the official added.
The finance department also sought justification for new medical colleges. According to the Tamil Nadu Nursing Council, the state, which has more than 1.8 lakh nurses, will achieve the WHO recommendation of a minimum of three nurses per 1,000 population to ensure adequate healthcare coverage in 2025. “This ratio is crucial for providing quality healthcare services and addressing the global shortage of healthcare professionals,” said Tamil Nadu Nurses and Midwives Council Registrar S Ani Grace Kalaimathi. “While India has 1.8 per 1,000 population, Tamil Nadu will have close to 3 per 1,000. In 2025, when more than 18,000 nurses pass out of various colleges, the ratio will touch 3 per 1,000,” she said.
Directorate of Medical Education Dr J Sangumani did not respond to calls, but officials in DME said they were unable to justify the need for more nursing colleges to the finance department. “The govt has 26 schools of nursing offering three-year diploma courses in nursing in addition to the six colleges of nursing. In addition, more than 250 private colleges are offering more than 16,000 BSc nursing seats every year. We don’t know if the state will grant permission for new colleges” the official said.
Healthcare experts, however, say there is no uniform distribution of nurses in the state, and several rural areas and PHCs still don’t have adequate nurses, both in the govt and private sector. “If WHO standards are our limit, we should not have any more medical colleges. The state says it has a policy of having at least one medical college in every state,” said S Saraswathy, a retired govt nurse. MSID:: 116373449 413 |
