Nurses protest outside Swasthya Bhawan as recruitment stalled for over 3 years

Amid a severe shortage of nurses in government hospitals across Bengal, trained candidates staged a protest on Friday in front of Swasthya Bhavan, alleging that the recruitment process has remained stalled for the past three years. A large number of nursing examination qualifiers demanded immediate issuance of pending appointment letters and an increase in sanctioned posts to address the growing healthcare burden.

The demonstrators, who cleared examinations from the 2018–19 session through 2025–26, submitted a memorandum to the Director of Health Services seeking swift intervention. They alleged that government hospitals are functioning with far fewer nurses than required, severely affecting patient care and overall healthcare delivery in the state.

Bhavsati Mukherjee, Secretary of the Nurses’ Unit, accused the administration of backtracking on its earlier commitments. She pointed out that although an advertisement had been issued for the recruitment of 7,000 nurses, the final list published by Swasthya Bhavan included only a little over 5,000 names. According to her, nearly 1,500 posts were reduced without any clear explanation.

The protesting nurses also expressed frustration over the gap between training and employment. They said private institutions charge substantial fees to train thousands of candidates every year, yet many meritorious candidates remain without jobs despite securing positions on the merit list. Several have reportedly been waiting months for their appointment letters.

Mukherjee asserted that the agitation would continue until all advertised vacancies are filled and joining letters are issued immediately. Representatives at the protest emphasized that deploying trained youth in government hospitals is crucial at a time when strengthening healthcare services is the need of the hour.