By Ufeeq Iqbal | Member, Indian Press Union | District Baramulla, J&K

In every hospital, there are two constants: the beep of the monitor and the presence of a nurse. While one is mechanical, the other is human, tireless, and often taken for granted.

As India aspires to become a global healthcare hub, it is time we ask: Are we doing justice to those who form 60% of our healthcare workforce?

Nursing in India has evolved far beyond bedside care. Today, a staff nurse is a pharmacologist who understands analgesics, anesthetics and opioids; a critical care expert who anticipates a pulmonary embolism from a travelling blood clot; a preventive specialist who knows friction and shear cause pressure ulcers; and an infection control officer who follows WHO mandated 40-60 seconds handwashing.

This is clinical expertise. Nursing audit itself - examination, analysis, reporting and corrective action - is a quality assurance system that holds hospitals accountable.

Yet the status of nurses remains low. India has 3.6 million registered nurses, but ratio is 1:20 against WHO norm of 1:4. Result is burnout and migration. Nearly 60% graduates appear for NCLEX and OET to go abroad - not for lack of patriotism, but for decent pay and dignity.

In private sector, many nurses are hired on contract for Rs. 12,000-18,000 for 12-hour shifts. During COVID-19 we called them angels and showered flowers, but reforms remained on paper.

Three reforms are needed. First, enforce Supreme Court 2016 verdict on Dr. T.S. Ravikumar Committee for pay and working conditions. Second, make nurses head nursing departments and make nursing audits mandatory for NABH. Third, project nursing as specialized profession with oncology, critical care and nurse practitioner pathways.

A doctor may prescribe, but it is the nurse who ensures safe administration and stays when family cannot. It is time we respect the nurses