Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has instructed Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi at Temple Trees today (09) to re-employ retired nurses on contract basis as required.
The Prime Minister stated this while addressing the discussion at the request of the President of the Public Service United Nurses’ Association, Chief Prelate of the Western Province, Ven. Murutthettuwe Ananda Nayaka Thera, held to discuss issues in the nursing service.
There are about 34,000 nurses are currently employed island-wide.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss short-term and long-term solutions and proposals to the problems they are currently facing.
Ven. Murutthettuwe Ananda Nayaka Thera expressed his views on increasing the allowances and facilities provided to nurses.
He also pointed out the use of untrained nurses in the Intensive Care Unit of the Kotelawala Defense University and the Neville Fernando Hospital.
The Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi stated that this situation has arisen due to the fact that at present there are less than 2000 nurses being recruited for training per year.
The Prime Minister also instructed to add the current serving times by untrained nurses in those units to the training time period.
In addition, the Prime Minister called for the introduction of short-term training programs for the Intensive Care Unit.
Secretary to the Ministry of Health SH Munasinghe said that 840 nurses have already been given short-term training in intensive care units and an accelerated training program will be implemented for nearly 1,000 more.
