Covid nurses seek job security
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, November 23 2021: Covid Warrior Nursing Officers' Association has urged government to arrange suitable position/location for the 467 nurses who were engaged by medical directorate on contract basis to help in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some representatives of the association told The People's Chronicle that a memorandum had been submitted to chief minister N Biren for arranging suitable position for the 467 nurses engaged to contain the pandemic in the state.

According to the representatives, state government engaged 467 nurses for fighting the pandemic in three batches and 150 of them were engaged during the first wave of the pandemic that hit the state in the first quarter of 2020 .

Contract period for the first batch comprising 150 nurses was extended for three months after the initial three months engagement period lapsed but all of them were released (disengaged) when COVID-19 positive cases declined in the state.

These disengaged nurses were called up again for working three months on contract basis when the state faced the second wave in March, 2021 .

Later, 317 more nurses were engaged on contract basis in two batches and their contract period lapsed in October this year.

Since then, there has been no contract extension or any related action being taken up till date, the representatives stated.

All the nurses engaged by medical directorate for fighting COVID-19 pandemic had worked for more than 100 days at different Covid Care Centres of the state.

There is instruction from the Central government to states and Union Territories that health care professionals who had worked for more than 100 days during COVID-19 pandemic should be given preference by respective public service commission in regular recruitment and hence members of the association deemed it fit to regularise their service by the directorate of health and family welfare, the representatives of the association said, adding that some nurses who were engaged since the first wave had worked for more than 400 days.

A notification of the state health department issued recently informed about recruitment of 50 nurses for Covid hospital, Kakching and 100 nurses for Covid Hospital, Kyamgei on contract basis and interview for the recruitment is scheduled from December 9 to 14 .

The association has no opposition and does not want to disrupt the recruitment but wants a specific position for nurses who had worked hard since the beginning of the pandemic before the interview, the representatives said, adding that the nurses had not only encountered COVID-19 but also faced discrimination from certain sections of the society.

The representatives then urged the chief minister to arrange a specific position for the nurses and extend their contract period.

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