Redeploying of nurses from other government hospitals and contractual post of nurses for the upgraded 860-bedded Periyar Government Hospital (GH), Periyar Nagar has drawn sharp criticism. Some doctors from other government hospitals have also been deputed to the hospital.

The Tamil Nadu MRB Nurses Empowerment Association, in a statement issued, said it was shocking that instead of creating regular posts of nurses, nurses from other hospitals were redeployed and contractual nurses were posted for the hospital.

Already, there was a shortage of nurses in the State. About 13,000 nurses were working on consolidated pay without being regularised. In such a situation, moving nearly 20 regular nurses from other hospitals and creating 156 posts of contract nurses for Periyar GH was disappointing, the association said. It noted that no regular post of nurses was created for the Kalaignar Centenary Super Speciality Hospital that was established in 2023.

The association demanded that permanent posts of nurses should be created when the State government established new hospitals and nurses who were working on consolidated pay for more than eight years should be regularised.

The Government Medical College Hospital, Omandurar Estate issued a relieving order on February 28 to redeploy 15 staff nurses to the Periyar GH.

In a deputation order issued last month, the Directorate of Medical Education and Research instructed the dean of Madras Medical College to depute and relieve one medical officer in the cadre of Assistant Professor/Senior Resident/Junior Resident/Tutor working in the speciality of Surgical and Medical Gastroenterology, General Surgery, Anaesthesiology, Urology, Paediatrics, Cardiology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Pathology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, ENT and Orthopaedics from their duty to report to the Periyar GH.

As per a Government Order, 375 posts of various categories – 109 regular posts and 266 contract posts – were created for the hospital. It may be noted that special online transfer counselling to fill up newly created posts of associate professor/assistant professor/senior resident/tutor in various specialities and departments for the GH was conducted on February 26.