A group of nursing graduates and government nurses have objected to the recently issued Draft Special Rules governing the Kerala Public Health Nursing State Service and the Kerala Public Health Nursing Subordinate Service.
As per an earlier government order, only those with a BSc degree in Nursing were qualified for posts such as Maternal and Child Health Officer and District Public Health Nurse. Nursing graduates, who did not wish to be quoted, claim that the government is now trying to supersede the above rules and make Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs)—who do not have any degrees—eligible for these senior-level posts. They say that these posts demand advanced knowledge in epidemiology, health programme planning, community health, and policy execution—areas where degree-level training is essential. There is a possibility of the quality of public health services getting compromised if properly qualified people are not appointed to these posts, the nursing graduates point out.
