‘ARNI’ taken strong objection against outsourcing of nursing services in railway

Nursing services is not a service which falls under Goods and Services, rather the nursing service is professional services

New Delhi : Association of Railway Nurses of India has taken strong objection against outsourcing of nursing services in Railways through private agency vide GeM portal. A strong objection letter written to the #CEO/Railway Board by Ghewar Chand, General Secretary/ARNI on dated 30th September, 2020.

Reference: 1. Letter No. 2019/RS(G)/GeM dated 22/07/20120 and No. 2019/RS(M)/GeM dated 17/06/2020 and Advertisement dated 21/09/2020 in reputed papers 2. FNo. A-11013/5/ 2013-N dated 4th August, 2016 by MOHFW 3. No.752-E/Contract/Covid/NRCH/2020.

With above references and subject, General Secretary, Association of Railway Nurses of India (ARNI), a registered body for railway nurses and affiliated with All India Govt Nurses Federation (AIGNF), written to the CEO/Railway Board that NRCH had recently called for contractual filling of nurses and other healthcare workers as per instruction by board in view related with pandemic situation of COVID-19.

Later NRCH has continued the procedure for doctors while nursing personnels are hired through GeM, an E-market portal for Goods and Services in various Central Ministries.

He writes, Nurses are always treated as backbone and front runner corona warriors and recently applauded by PM at various occasions. Nurses are playing their vital role in this pandemic situation with whole hearted. A number of personnel have lost their lives during covid services.

In such a hard and difficult time, railway administration has decided to take nurses by outsourcing mode is very demoralising and demotivating and ARNI strongly condemn the step and put its strong objection against this procurement by GeM.

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) in one of letter mentioned above in reference 2, had clearly instructed all department, ministries not to outsource the nursing personnel and as a responsible association, and also the adoption of the ministerial orders in this high pandemic situation so that a true respect and professional etiquettes can be maintained.

By taking nurses either by contractual mode or/and permanent basis is only true respect to these corona warriors who are selflessly working with full modesty.

Nursing services is not a service which falls under Goods and Services, rather the nursing service is professional services which is highly specialised and specific and can not be procured by outsourcing and so done it will cause:

1. Exploitation of nurses by private agencies.

2. Failure to provide minimum wages and allowances to nursing personnels as per Supreme Court Guidelines laid in 2016.

3. Issues related to license and registration of nursing persons which may be misled by private agencies as these are related to service of human lives and failure will lead to legal issues.

4. Handling of expensive medical instruments and costly medicine which need most trusted responsibilities and outsourced agencies can’t be made responsible.

5. Disobedience of nodal ministerial orders in pandemic stage.

6. Dishonours to frontline corona warriors and their integrity.

Therefore, #ARNI requests with great hopes to stop the recruitment of nurses by GeM and outsourcing and consider to take the nurses by either contractual mode for limited time or by permanent mode so that regular services can be maintained in this pandemic situation.

This will be a true honour to nurses – front line corona warriors.

Keeping these reasons, ARNI requested to cancel the procurement of nursing services through #GeM and adopt to take the services by contractual methods as adopted for doctors services.

ARNI will be highly obliged and true sense of #COVID_YODHA will be maintained.

Copies of above letter forwarded to –

1. #Health_Secretary, #MOHFW, #GOI

2. #JointSecy #Nursing, MOHFW, GOI

3. #ADGN, MOHFW, GOI

4. #DGRHS, #RailwayBoard

5. #SecretaryGeneral, #AIGNF

6. #GS/ #NFIR 7. #GS/ #AIRF #NRCH