The Assembly on Wednesday passed the Odisha Staff Nurses (Validation of Appointment) Bill, 2012 which will enable the State Government to regularise the services of 326 staff nurses working on ad hoc basis for more than 15 years.
Moving the Bill in the Assembly, Minister for Health and Family Welfare Damodar Rout said ad hoc appointment of staff nurses was made from 1995 following delay in the recruitment by the Odisha Staff Selection Commission (OSSC).
Earlier, staff nurses were recruited by the Director, Health Services, from among the panel of passout students. This method continued till 1993 till formation of OSSC Rules, 1993. The post of staff nurse was kept in Schedule-1 of the new Rules and appointed through direct recruitment.
Since the process was time consuming and because of acute shortage of staff nurses in government hospitals, the Government moved the General Administration Department with a request to delete the provision of staff selection commission from the OSSC rules.
Since the new process of recruitment was considerably delayed, the Government appointed 326 staff nurses on an ad hoc basis. The Bill seeks to protect their services, seniority and allow them to avail pensionary benefits prevailing during the period of their recruitment, Rout said.