TN govt terminates nurses hired during pandemic

CHENNAI: The state government issued a government order to terminate the  service of the temporary nurses appointed during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The G.O. issued by the department of Health and Family welfare said the appointments were made to face the public health emergency of international concern as declared by the World Health Organisation and that the contract of the nurses ends on Saturday. 

The state government recruited around 2,400 nurses on a monthly salary of Rs 14,000 in May 2020. 
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu MRB Nurses Development Union said the move is against the spirit of social justice. They also said it is against the promise made by Chief Minister MK Stalin. 

In a statement released on Saturday, the union argued the nurses have been in the waiting list after successfully clearing Tamil Nadu Medical Recruitment Board exams and had risked their lives during the peak of the pandemic. Pointing out the existing vacancies for nurses in primary healthcare centres, they urged the Tamil Nadu government to provide permanent jobs for the nurses.