The Supreme Court today asked the Centre to set up within four weeks an expert committee to look into the grievances pertaining to service conditions of nurses employed with private hospitals and private nursing homes across the country.
A three-judge bench headed by Justice A R Dave also asked the Centre to consider making a law based on the recommendations which would be given to it by the expert committee on the issue.
The bench also comprising Justices Shiva Kirti Singh and Adarsh Kumar Goel, then disposed of the petition filed by a nurses' body seeking various reliefs to ensure welfare of nurses working with private medical care institutions.
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The directions came on the plea filed by Trained Nurses Association of India (TNAI) seeking various reliefs including framing of guidelines for private hospitals and nursing homes to prevent them from retaining original certificates of nurses at the time of their employment.
During the hearing today, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said the court may frame guidelines as health was a state subject, the central government may not make a law to regulate the service conditions of nurses across the country.
The PIL had also alleged that various hospitals have been continuously violating the fundamental rights of nurses.
One of the PILs, filed by another nurses' body, alleged that nurses were also compelled to sign in vouchers for inflated amounts but paid very meagre amounts and exploited by private hospitals.
It had mentioned instances of exploitation of nurses including suicide committed by a 22-year-old nurse working at a premier private hospital in Mumbai and another example of a nurse who was asked by a private hospital in Gurgaon to deposit Rs 50,000 for the release of her certificates.
