Manipur Health director Dr Khoirom Sasheekumar Mangang on Thursday expressed serious concerns on the trend of hiring substitute nurses to work in place of trained nurses and called on such nurses, working in government hospitals, to avoid the habit of performing their services for namesake and just to get the salary.
He stated this during the launching function of “Seven-Day Training of Nurses” under Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi on Thursday. The programme was organised by Manipur Nursing Council (MNC), Lamphel, in collaboration with Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS), Porompat at the mini conference hall of JNIMS.
Addressing the function as chief guest, Dr Khoirom Sasheekumar Mangang said that the health profession is one of the noblest jobs that one needs to perform with a sense of humanity and sacrificing spirit. As nurses from Manipur usually possess excellent skill in treating patients, they are highly demanded in other states and even in some countries like Japan, United Kingdom, he added.
The director, however, termed the practice of keeping substitute nurses by trained nurses in some government hospitals as "unfortunate". The substitutes are being hired to work in place of those hired and such a trend would malign the profession of the nurses, he said and added that medical science is a non-stop development and as such, health professionals such as doctors and nurses need to update their skills and knowledge in par with its changing and development.
Life and death of an ailing person depends largely on health professionals and to keep a substitute would only put the life of sick persons at further risk. Besides this, their skill and knowledge would be defunct after some years, he pointed out.
While encouraging all nurses, he assured to extend his possible effort for the welfare of the nursing community.
President of the function, director of JNIMS, Dr Laishram Deben Singh, called for updating skills and knowledge of those in service. There is a necessity to conduct training programmes from time to time and the institute will focus on holding it in the interest of health care workers, he said.
He also urged the nurses to perform their service with dedication and a sense of humanity.
Other dignitaries who attended the function were medical superintendent of JNIMS, Dr Khumukcham Lokeshore Singh; registrar of MNC, Lamphel, Thoudam Nandarani Devi and nursing superintendent of JNIMS, Mutum Jibanmala Devi.
