Central government nod to 323 new GMCH nursing officer posts

Chandigarh: After 17 years, the ministry of health and family welfare on Monday approved the creation of 323 posts of nursing officers for Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32.

In 2005, the GMCH sent a proposal to the ministry for the creation of 656 nursing posts. Out of the 323 posts approved, 316 are for staff nurses, six for nursing sisters and one for the matron. The GMCH has been asked to ensure that in no case shall the pay level of the posts approved to exceed the pay level of the posts already existent in the same grade and that the posts are filled up on regular basis.

As per the nursing welfare association, against 656 posts, only 12 posts of a nursing sister, 11 posts of the matron, and one post each of the nursing superintendent, and deputy nursing superintendent had been sent as wrong proposals to the ministry of health and family welfare as they did not follow the Indian Nursing Council norms. There had been no promotions of the nurses as the GMCH has only 62 posts of senior nursing officer and nine posts of the assistant nursing officer since the inception of the medical college.  

“A total of 30 per cent of promotional posts have been cancelled as they were not sent to the ministry as per the nursing norms. That is why the number of sanctioned posts which was 656 was reduced,” said Dabkesh Kumar, president of, Nursing Welfare association, GMCH.