CHENNAI: The health department will honour nurses who rendered exemplary service with ‘Florence Nightingale’ on International Nurses Day every year. This year’s awards will be presented next year, said Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Thursday. Subramanian, along with Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan, was participating in a function organised at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) on the occasion of International Nurses Day.
He felicitated doctors, nurses, other hospital staff, and the firefighters who saved patients during the fire incident at RGGGH recently. Addressing an audience, he said 1,820 mini-clinic doctors, whose service ended on 31 March, will be given priority while recruiting doctors to 708 Urban Health Centres (UHCs) announced by the Chief Minister.
For every UHC, one doctor, one nurse, and one pharmacist will be recruited. Health professionals who worked during the pandemic will be given priority. Saying that the department is against recruiting doctors, nurses, and other health workers on contractual or temporary basis, the minister said that over 4,000 of 7,296 personnel recruited for Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam scheme were those who had worked during the pandemic on contract.
Also, 1,324 contract nurses have been regularised so far. The health department is also planning to recruit 4,000 doctors, nurses, and other health personnel through the Medical Recruitment Board (MRB) so these people will have job security and job regularisation. Surbamanian said the health department, under the instructions of the Chief Minister, ensured that the Rs 15,000 incentive announced for nurses who were on Covid-19 duty reached them in time.
After the DMK government assumed office, nearly 13,000 doctors, nurses, and other health workers were transferred to their desired locations. H e said, for the first time in a government hospital in the State, bone-marrow transplant was performed on a four-year-old boy at RGGGH.
CM promises help to bed - Ridden student
Health Minister Ma Subramanian said Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday called and consoled the father of S Sindhu, a Class 12 student who was in the limelight recently for appearing in the board exam despite being bedridden after suffering multiple fractures from a fall.
He also spoke to the student and encouraged her to do well in her exams and promised her his support. Sindhu will be given treatment, including physiotherapy, at RGGGH. In a few months, she can return to a normal life. A 108 ambulance goes to Sindhu’s house daily to take her to the exam centre and drop her off back home, Subramanian said.
Stalin extends wishes to nurses
Chennai: CM MK Stalin greeted nurses in the State on the occasion of International Nurses Day on Thursday. He tweeted: “Wishes to nurses who make an essential contribution to the medical field on the occasion of International Nurses Day. Let us appreciate the admirable work of the nurses.” He also said his government would fulfil the just demands of nurses. AMMK founder TTV Dhinakaran, too, extended his wishes to the nurses.