‘Massive exercise for registration, tracking system underway to empower nurses’

Dr. T Dileep Kumar, president of Indian Nursing Council speaks about the Nurse Registration Tracking System (NRTS) on the occassion of International Nurses Day.

Explained: As COVID-19 fight rages, how short is the world of nurses?

The aim of NRTS is towards a simplified registration system that will empower nurses with a National Unique Identity Number (NUID). (PTI Photo/File)

2020 was designated as Year of the Nurse and the Midwife by World Health Organization in recognition of the contribution they make and the risks associated with nursing shortages. On the occasion of International Nurses Day on May 12, Dr. T Dileep Kumar, president of Indian Nursing Council, tells Anuradha Mascarenhas that a Nurse Registration Tracking System (NRTS) has been launched for the first time. Excerpts from an interview:

What is the aim of the Nurse Registration Tracking System?

A massive exercise is underway to identify the exact number of nurses in the country. An agency has been appointed to visit each government and private hospital and collect authentic information for the same. The aim is towards a simplified registration system that will empower nurses with a National Unique Identity Number (NUID). It will also involve renewal of licence once in five years with 150 hours of Continuing Nursing Education (CNE). Nurses travel across states for various employment opportunities. For instance, a nurse working in Maharashtra, who comes to Delhi, faces the challenge of acquiring reciprocal registration and finds it difficult to get a job in the private sector. With this electronic verification, the nurse’s name will be deleted from Maharashtra and entered into Delhi Nursing Council.

How many nurses are there in the country?

There are 20 lakh nurses, who have been registered to date. However, we want the exact number and, hence, this is the first regulatory body to start a live registration system. Some nurses may have died, some may have gone abroad and, so, we want to arrive at the exact number of how many are active. The NRTS exercise is underway for two years now and 10 lakh nurses have been covered so far. We have to ascertain numbers as to how many have gone abroad and, with the NRTS, we can track them.

Nurses are facing a number of challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic. Please comment on their training needs.

There are a large number of nurses working during this pandemic and, for the first time, the public has realised the significant role that they play. I have been working as a nursing adviser for several decades to the government. While an approximate more than 100 nurses have tested positive for the coronavirus, the Centre has taken positive steps in ensuring health insurance for them and bringing the ordinance to amend the Epidemic Diseases Act to protect frontline workers. While nurses were trained on various aspects of Covid-19, another effort was taken up along with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to build the capacity of nurses and teachers/students of nursing colleges on dealing with pregnant and lactating women in the wake of Covid-19 and with survivors of gender-based violence.

The first-ever State of the World’s Nursing Report by WHO estimated a shortage of over 5.7 million nurses worldwide. How is the Centre planning to address this issue?

Nursing is the largest occupational group in the health sector accounting for approximately 59 per cent of the health professionals. According to the report, the focus has to be on investing in nurses’ education and jobs. In India, there are an estimated 1,800 BSc nursing colleges, 3,000 diploma courses in general nursing schools, 700 postgraduate nursing institutions and 1,600 ANM (Auxiliary Nurse Midwifery) schools. If the optimum nurse ratio is properly implemented, then there is one nurse for four patients in special wards and one nurse for six in general wards. The National Health Policy, 2017, has focused on single entry into nursing courses and recommended upgrading diploma schools into nursing colleges. A specialisation programme in critical care nursing practitioner also has been started across 20 institutions. The focus is on nurses playing an advanced role in ICU (intensive care unit) towards patient care management.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories