Nurses’ uniform: White frock gives way to beige saree or salwar kameez

The decision was taken after a meeting with the Maharashtra Nurses’ Federation and the State Matrons’ Association.

The debate over nurses’ uniform had been raging for years.

Tawde said, “The government has taken the decision after consultations and consent of the nurses’ association. The government has not imposed its own decision on uniform.”

The government made it clear that beige colour should be worn by nurses across hospitals. It also directed matrons to wear uniforms after it noted that they often took the liberty of not adhering to the uniform rule in hospitals.

The nurses’ association led by Anuradha Athavale told the minister that sarees and salwar kameez were more comfortable.

A senior officer said, “The nurses’ association said maintaining white dress/frock along with apron and cap was difficult. Moreover, in hospitals where they had to climb the staircases or often handle patients at any odd hours and places, a frock was difficult to maintain.”

It was felt that saree or salwar kameez would be more practical and beige would be easier to maintain than spotless white. The decision to change the uniform had in the past evoked sharp differences within the medical staff and associations, with one section believing that nurses’ traditional dress had its own sanctity.
The white uniform was inherited from the British and was adopted across the world.

In the 1980s, some nations changed the uniform as per requirement.