THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The move to deploy nursing students in hospitals to tide over the dearth of nurses necessitated due to the protracted strike has drawn flak from the medical fraternity who feel it is against medical ethics.
Terming it a risky misadventure, most doctors likened it to posting MBBS students on duty when doctors go on strike. Registering his protest against the way the strike was being handled, public health expert Dr K P Aravindan said deploying nursing students cannot be accepted. He asked on what grounds the hospitals were flirting with such a risk. However, he said the students could be given some rudimentary tasks like checking BP or dressing wounds but cannot be entrusted with any serious responsibilities.
Indian Medical Association state president Dr V G Pradeep Kumar said the deployment of nursing students will invite legal consequences. “Who will take the responsibility if something goes awfully wrong. Yes, they could be utilised for OP services. But they could never be deployed at the ICU or other places where utmost patient care is needed,” he said.
Besides, nurses who have not completed the course or are not registered should never be deployed for duty at hospitals, Pradeep said. “The quality of healthcare will be seriously affected. This was not the way to handle the strike. I hope the issue will be settled amicably at the earliest.”
Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA) president V Madhu said it was not a wise move to deploy nursing students in place of qualified nurses. There are certain medical ethics to be followed, he said. “There should not be any dilution of ethics or rules. The deployment of students will hamper the existing system.”
“How can these students be held liable for any mistakes. The question of fixing accountability is also there,” he said. He said these students will not be able to do anything on their own and can only perform under strict supervision. Meanwhile, a section of trained nurses’ associations has also come out against the move, stating it was against the existing rules.
Chennithala pins hope on CM’s assurance to settle nurses’ stir
T’puram: Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala told reporters here on Monday that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has promised him to settle the private nurses’ stir in the reconciliation talks scheduled on Thursday. The undertaking was given by the Chief Minister after the Opposition leader prevailed upon him to end the stir by ensuring adequate wages, as demanded by the nurses. Ramesh repeated his demand to slash the hiked self-financing medical education fee further or the government should come forward to provide scholarships for financially backward students.
“By effecting a slight cut in the MBBS fee and jacking up the dental courses fee further, the government has deceived the poor and commoners once again. Even the High Court had criticised the SF Medical-Dental fee fixation ordinance as a sort of two- minute noodles, prepared without applying mind to it,” he said.
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