SHORTAGE OF 7 LAC NURSES IN INDIA BY 2010

Shortage of nurses in India

There are about 3.7 lakhs nurses in the country while the requirement is about 10.5 lakhs nurses by 2012.


GANGTOK, May 4: Catholic Social Service Trust, a charitable organization has called for enhancing nursing education in the country as there is shortage of nurses to work in the hospitals.

As per the current statistics, the nurse-patient ratio in the country is very low compared to the developed countries as evident in President Patil’s address where she pointed out that there are about 3.7 lakhs nurses in the country while the requirement is about 10.5 lakhs nurses by 2012.

Apart from the shortage in India, nurses are also in short-supply in the West and in the Middle East. There is a dire need for nurses in India to support the burgeoning healthcare system, both in the urban as well as the rural areas, it is informed.

“In India, the gap between the demand and supply is also exacerbated because of the lack of awareness about the opportunities in nursing and about the incentives and scholarships that the government and other non-profit agencies, like the Catholic Social Service Trust, are trying to give deserving candidates to boost the demand”, the organization said.

The demand for nurses from the Northern States is very high but the supply is low mainly because of the lack of awareness of the attractive career options that are now available to young men and women both in India and abroad, the trust added.