Why oppose minimum wage of Rs 20K for nurses: HC to pvt hospitals, nursing homes

The Delhi High Court today asked a group representing over 350 private hospitals and nursing homes in the city as to what they were paying the nurses employed by them and why were they opposed to giving them a minimum wage of Rs 20,000 as recommended by an expert panel.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar also asked the group, DMA Nursing Home and Medical Establishment, to specify what, according to it, should be the minimum wages for such persons and the rationale for the same.

"How can you be opposed to a minimum wage of Rs 20,000? What are you paying them (nurses)? What according to you should be the minimum wage and what is the rationale for it," the court asked DMA.

The posers were put to DMA as it had expressed reservations regarding the Delhi government's June 25 order to all private hospitals and nursing homes here to comply with the recommendations of an expert panel set up on orders of the Supreme Court to look into the salary and working conditions of nurses.

A direction was also issued to the Centre to place before the court within four weeks the progress it has made with regard to framing pan-India guidelines on the working conditions and remuneration of nurses and the matter was listed for further hearing on October 8.

The direction to the Centre came after Delhi government's additional standing counsel Sanjoy Ghose said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had not yet framed the guidelines.

The court was hearing a PIL moved by the Indian Professional Nurses Association (IPNA), through advocate Amit George, seeking directions to the Delhi government and the Centre to implement the expert panel's recommendations, which had suggested a minimum wage of Rs 20,000 for nurses who work in establishments with less than 50 beds.

The panel had also recommended that working conditions, like leave, working hours, medical facilities, transportation and accommodation, of the nurses should be on a par with those working in government hospitals.

The Delhi government by its June 25 order had directed the private hospitals and nursing homes in the national capital to comply with the recommendations.