Nurses stage protest in Chennai seeking creation of new posts, regularisation

chennai: members of the tamil nadu nurses development association staged a protest here on thursday demanding the creation of new posts in line with national medical commission (nmc) norms and the regularisation of nurses appointed on a fixed salary.addressing the protest held near the chennai district collector's office, association secretary subin said nurses were recruited on a consolidated pay scale in government hospitals in 2015 with a promise that their posts would be regularised within two years. while a small number were made permanent during the earlier aiadmk regime, the demand for full regularisation remains unmet, he said.subin added that although the dmk government had assured that all fixed-pay nurses would be regularised, the promise has not been fulfilled. he noted that after fixed-salary nurses moved the madras high court, the court directed the state to pay them on par with permanent nurses.however, the state government has appealed the order in the supreme court, a move the association termed “regrettable”, citing that it contradicts the ruling party's election promise.the association further alleged that no new posts have been created as mandated by nmc norms and that adequate recruitment has not taken place. instead, nurses are being transferred to staff newly established hospitals, resulting in shortages elsewhere, the protestors said.they urged the government to immediately create the required number of posts and regularise all nurses working on a fixed salary.