Surplus Nurses

By L.B.Senaratne

While there  is cry for lack of nurses in various Hospitals in the country, there are surplus  staff, even  drawing overtime in  Hospitals especially District Hospitals has been revealed in a Right of Information Act application pointing  to Hataraliyadde Districtg Hospital

The Health Directorate has said that during  the past COVID period, most of the staff were allowed to come to work from their homes to the nearest hospitals and this has not been regulated even now , as much as in other departments.

In the case of Hataliayadda Hospital, four nurses had left the country in April  for employment abroad and has even been paid as if they were working in Hatarliyadde Hospital

There is a serious doubt as to whether this situation is in the entire country without any check on the cadre of Hospitals in the country.  This is matter of serious concern said a reputed and distinguished Physician who had been working in both Kandy and Peradeniya Teaching  Hospitals, leaving to be unquoted

He added that the Provincial department of Health should be held responsible for this anomaly

In the meantime The  Director of Health Services in the Central Province Nihal Silva had said  that all nurses who have served over six years in Hospitals would be transferred, and Hatarliayadde Hospital would have  six nurses instead of a four member cadre as it is difficult to work with four in that Hospital.