In addition to low wages, nurses are also under pressure from high workloads. Their duty hours and the number of patients they have to see are also high. This puts them under physical/mental/social pressure.
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Although nurses are highly praised for their dedication and service, they are forced to face exploitation and hardship in their professional lives. As a result, the dark compulsions of the bright face sometimes manifest themselves in the form of protests. For example, right now, nurses across the country are protesting, mainly over the issue of pay.
The protest, which was started by nurses from Manipal Teaching Hospital and Gandaki Medical College in Pokhara on 24 Asoj and 26 Asoj respectively, has become nationwide. However, no concrete initiative has been taken to bring the protest to a halt. Instead, the Nepal Nursing Association itself has made public the protest program, ranging from working under blackout conditions to disrupting services. As the protest program progresses, the health sector is certain to fall into further complications and misunderstandings. Therefore, it is imperative to reach an agreement as soon as possible.
The protesting nurses have demanded remuneration and service facilities on par with the government. This is not a new demand. It is also not a demand that the government has rejected. Because, on 27 Mangsir 2081, the Ministry of Health and Population had issued a circular on the issue of implementing the minimum wage and service facilities on par with the government of Nepal to all private hospitals, institutions, medical colleges, and community hospitals.
According to which, nurses should receive a minimum wage of 34,730 rupees. However, many nurses working in private hospitals are still forced to work for a salary of 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000. The government circular has already been violated, and it seems that Nepal is deprived of the minimum wage of 19,550 as per the Labor Act, 2074 BS. Therefore, the government needs to take special initiatives to implement its own circular and laws. After the nurses' movement progressed, the news that Prime Minister Sushila Karki herself has taken an interest in fulfilling the demand has been made public, but a concrete conclusion is awaited.
In addition to low wages, nurses are also under pressure from high workload. Their duty period and the number of patients they have to see are also high. Due to which they are under physical/mental/social pressure. Nurses who enter the health service as 'trainees' are forced to work for very little or no pay for years. Since they have to study at a cost of lakhs, the pressure is constant.
On the other hand, working on the 'frontline' in a sensitive field like health also carries a lot of risk. Although this issue has been widely discussed during the Covid pandemic, it has been ignored at other times. Similarly, low salaries and professional insecurity have made it difficult for nurses to develop respect, belonging, and motivation for their profession. This has ultimately led to a situation of leaving the profession or migrating abroad. Therefore, if the nursing profession in Nepal is to be made more attractive, there is a need for a comprehensive restructuring in various areas such as remuneration, workload, and professional security.
Problems can occur in almost all sectors. But the state should have a sense of responsibility to solve them. The state has not been able to quickly solve the problems seen and exposed in the health sector. The demands raised by nurses at this time are a result of that. It seems that the state has not been able to keep the growing profiteering in the health sector under its control. Due to which hospitals have been ignoring the government's policies, regulations, and circulars.
Therefore, the government should adopt a practical policy and be strict in its implementation. Second, nursing is one of the many professions that are suffering from unemployment in Nepal. The government should create positions. It is necessary to create positions for nurses in community and private schools as well. This will not only reduce the unemployment problem, but will also make it easier for millions of students to get health services.
Creating employment opportunities and enhancing service facilities will also reduce the exodus of nurses. If Nepal's environment is not improved, foreign countries will benefit from the skilled manpower produced in Nepal or prepared by the Nepali side with investment. Such a situation is even more worrying for a weak country like Nepal. It will further weaken Nepal's health sector.
The nurses' movement is not a new issue in Nepal. Their demands are also not new. But a practical agreement and its implementation have not been achieved. Due to which the problems of nurses continue. Therefore, this time's movement should be taken as an opportunity to completely end the problems in this sector. However, the government has formed a committee under the coordination of Additional Health Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Population, Shri Krishna Shrestha.
The committee will submit a report with suggestions for solving the service facilities, working environment and other problems of nurses and health workers. The first meeting of the committee has also formed monitoring committees in all seven provinces to conduct on-site monitoring and discussions on the issues raised by the nurses and submit suggestions for resolving the issues. The committee will make recommendations, but it should coordinate with stakeholders to find a permanent solution to the problem. Mainly, even before that, the government should continue to communicate with the nurses. They should be taken into confidence. The movement should be supported and solutions to the problem should be found.
