Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 23 Oct: A meeting of the Empowered Committee constituted to consider the operation of nursing courses at private universities was held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan, today. The meeting discussed various issues relating to prescribed standards for conducting nursing courses at private universities, availability of medical human resources, skill development of nursing and paramedical staff, and employment opportunities abroad.
The Chief Secretary directed the departmental officials to ensure strict compliance with all prescribed standards for conducting nursing courses at private universities. He emphasised that effective adherence to the required academic, infrastructure-related, and other prescribed standards was essential to maintaining the quality of nursing education.
The Chief Secretary stated that a systematic database of nursing and paramedical staff should be developed to ensure better coordination between the demand for and availability of medical human resources in the state. For this purpose, information regarding the number of nursing and paramedical personnel available at major medical colleges, their educational qualifications, specialisations, and skill sets should be compiled to ensure the availability of trained human resources as per requirements.
He directed officials to assess the current and future requirements of healthcare services and prepare an effective action plan to ensure the availability of medical personnel in accordance with the projected demand.
The Chief Secretary laid special emphasis on expanding international employment opportunities for trained youth in the nursing and paramedical sectors. Setting a target of facilitating overseas employment for 500 nurses and ward boys during the financial year 2027–28, he directed the concerned officials to take concrete steps towards achieving this objective.
He said that employment opportunities in West Asia, Western Europe, Estonia, and Gulf countries should be explored on a priority basis. For this purpose, officials should study the demand for medical and paramedical personnel in these countries, along with the prescribed qualifications, language proficiency requirements, necessary training, and other eligibility conditions.
The Chief Secretary further directed officials to work towards establishing appropriate training and skill development arrangements to prepare young people seeking employment abroad in accordance with international standards, enabling them to access better employment opportunities.
The Chief Secretary directed officials to prepare a comprehensive action plan to ensure the availability of more skilled, trained, and specialised medical personnel in hospitals across the state. He said that, based on an assessment of hospitals’ requirements, concrete targets should be set to improve the availability, specialisation, and skills of nursing and paramedical staff.
He instructed departmental officials to undertake the necessary preparatory work and develop a system that would enable healthcare institutions to access trained and skilled personnel according to their specific requirements.
During the meeting, departmental officials informed the committee through a presentation that a total of 73 applications had initially been received for conducting nursing courses at private universities. Following scrutiny, six applications were found eligible for consideration by the Empowered Committee.
Of the six applications presented, the committee found five eligible for conducting nursing courses. The Chief Secretary directed that the remaining application be placed before the committee at its next meeting.
The Chief Secretary directed the Health Department and the officials to ensure that the deployment of nursing staff and ward boys in private hospitals complies with the prescribed staffing norms per bed. He emphasised strict enforcement of standards relating to the availability of essential human resources in hospitals to improve the quality of healthcare services and the facilities provided to patients.
Secretary Vinay Shankar, Additional Secretary Vijay Kumar Jogdande, Rohit Meena, Navneet Pandey, and officials from the departments concerned were present at the meeting.
