Facing shortage, Communicable Diseases Hospital to train nurses with outside tutors

Chennai: In a bid to tide over the shortage of nurses at corporation health centres, the Communicable Diseases Hospital (CDH) will roll out a one-year auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) diploma course next month. The aim is to train candidates to fill up the 213 nursing vacancies at various levels in urban centres.

The civic body is also set to outsource key positions involved in running the course, including that of the principal and academic tutors, due to the limited strength of its own workforce.

Over 109 applications were received on the last date for application for the 40 seats offered under the two-year ANM course. The hospital in Tondiarpet also offers a diploma in medical laboratory technology and a course in multi-purpose hospital work.

“We have a persistent dearth of manpower in the role of nurses. Many qualified personnel prefer taking up jobs with private hospitals instead of working on a contract with the corporation. After the course is completed, the diploma holders will be eligible for contractual nursing jobs with the corporation,” an official told TOI.

Corporation sources said the course would require a full-time employed principal, eight tutors, one warden, three cooks, two assistant cooks and one data manager, which the civic body was unable to provide from its workforce.

“We can’t involve our existing staff in such roles as it would affect the field work they are involved in. Also, most of them declined when we offered them the option of moving to academic roles,” said an official. “Qualified medical staffers among corporation employees are already involved in maternal and child health roles,” he added.