PANJIM: A batch of 118 nurses, who completed their training at the Institute of Nursing Education, Bambolim, in November last year, find themselves in a dire situation.
Despite signing a one-year bond agreement, these nurses are unemployed since December 2023, except for a two-month period, during which they were tasked with conducting surveys unrelated to their nursing duties.
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These nurses are now confined to their homes, barred from seeking alternative employment due to the bond agreement. The lack of income has proven extremely problematic, as many come from underprivileged backgrounds, with no other means of financial support.
“It’s been an incredibly stressful few months for all of us. We were assured job placements after our exams, but now we are just stuck at home with no idea when we will actually start working and get paid. For those of us without another income in the family, it’s been devastating,” one of the nurses said, on condition of anonymity.
These qualified nurses were initially told that the delays were due to the model code of conduct in force for Lok Sabha polls, despite the government being aware of their situation since November 2023.
However, there is growing frustration among these nurses that strengthening hospital staffing was not made more of a priority from a public health stand-point.
Out of fear of repercussions or upsetting influential parties, the nurses have remained quiet publicly about their plight until now. But as the months go on with no resolution in sight, concerns are mounting about how much longer this untenable situation can persist.
When contacted, the Principal of Institute of Nursing Educatio, Dr Wilson N Fernandes said that when a student joins the institute, he or she signs a bond with the State government that they will serve the government hospitals and public health centres for a stipulated one-year period.
“The students completed their course in November 2023 and their results were declared in mid-December last year. The names of passed out nurses were forwarded to the State government. But because of the election code of conduct coming into force, they could not be employed,” Dr Fernandes told O Heraldo.
“I have been informed that the first batch has been relieved after completing their bond period,” he said, while adding that the process of recruiting this second batch will start once the code of conduct is lifted.
