Nursing, midwifery bodies join hands to seek policy support for healthcare workforce

Dr T Dileep Kumar, president, Indian Nursing Council, said, “Nurses play a crucial role in the healthcare industry and their importance cannot be undermined. Over the last two decades, India has made significant progress in plugging the gaps in overall availability of nurses. Due to several concrete efforts by the Union government, the country has seen a doubling of the nursing workforce — from 0.8 nurses per 1,000 population in 2000 to 1.7 in 2020. However, this number is still less than the World Health Organisation (WHO) norm of 3 nurses per 1,000 population, thereby necessitating systemic reforms. Through the #NurseMidwife4Change, we have been able to initiate a conversation around issues faced by our nurses and midwives and are hopeful of a measurable impact in the coming months.”

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The country currently stands at 1.7 nurses per 1,000 population, as opposed to the WHO norm of 3 nurses per 1,000. The poor nurse-patient ratio results in increased workload, long working hours, double shifts and other issues leading to low-quality treatment. It is believed that the issue must be resolved to build a robust health workforce in the country. Presently, policy priorities targeted at strengthening the nursing sector in the country are focused on increasing the number of nurses in the healthcare system.