Shillong, Oct 26: Nurses at NEIGRIHMS have flagged a shortage of female nurses in critical and sensitive wards after recent recruitments skewed heavily towards male candidates, ahead of the Governing Council meeting on October 27.
The nurses have sought adoption of an 80:20 female-to-male ratio in Nursing Officer recruitment, calling it a patient-care necessity.
“The overall staff strength does not tell the whole story. What matters is whether we have adequate female nursing staff in every department and across shifts where patient privacy and dignity are at stake,” nurses at the institute said.
According to nurses, of 180 candidates selected in 2023, about 55 per cent were male. In another drive for 194 posts, 174 selected were male — nearly 90 per cent.
At present, NEIGRIHMS has 549 Nursing Officers — 317 women (57.7%) and 232 men (42.3%). Nurses said aggregate figures mask gaps in individual departments and shifts.
“In certain ICU shifts, 8 out of 11 nurses on duty are male, while in Paediatric ICU, 4 out of 6 are male. These figures raise questions about availability of female nurses when sensitive care is required,” they said.
Critical areas such as Obstetrics & Gynaecology, labour room, female medicine and surgery wards, paediatric wards, NICU, PICU, ICUs, OTs and private wards predominantly require female nursing personnel, they said.
Nurses cited AIIMS, JIPMER, ESIC hospitals and Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI), Kolkata, as having adopted or approved the 80:20 ratio.
“AIIMS board minutes of October 28, 2019 recorded 80 per cent posts for women citing patient comfort. JIPMER governing body in May 2021 noted that work requirements at several locations necessitate a female nursing officer. ESIC approved it in 2024 and CNCI adopted it in April 2022,” they said.
The nurses argued the demand is not gender discrimination but based on clinical necessity and is permissible under Article 15(3) of the Constitution.
“This is not about undermining male nurses, whose contribution is equally important. It is about ensuring patients receive care that respects privacy, dignity and cultural comfort without compromising treatment,” they said.
Nurses also warned of an impending retirement of a large number of experienced female nurses recruited during 2006-2008.
“If male-majority intake continues, we may face a severe shortage of experienced female staff in maternity, paediatric, neonatal and female wards. NEIGRIHMS serves diverse communities of the Northeast where patients may feel uncomfortable receiving intimate care from opposite gender,” they said.
They said the claim that 80:20 is followed only by Institutes of National Importance is not accurate, as ESIC and CNCI, which are central autonomous bodies, have adopted it.
Nurses urged the Governing Council meeting to examine the issue and recommend a legally sound, Ministry-approved gender-balanced recruitment framework for future recruitments.
