Centre to set up 137 new nursing institutes

New Delhi, Mar 4(ANI): The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Thursday approved establishment of 137 General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) Schools under the Scheme of Upgradation / Strengthening of Nursing Services.

The new colleges would be established in the high focus states like Bihar, Chattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, North Eastern States, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal.

The schools will be opened in these states at a total cost of Rs.1370 crore with a cost sharing pattern of 85:15 between the Central Government and States.

The expenditure on the part of Central Government would be Rs.1164.50 crore and the states are to contribute Rs.205.50 crore.

This is expected to increase the availability of trained nursing manpower and improve the quality of nursing education in the backward and special category states of the country.

This would also facilitate improvement in the quality of Nursing services in the hospitals.

The CCEA also approved, in order to meet the shortage of nurses, setting up of 132 Auxiliary Nursing and Midwifery (ANM) Schools under the same scheme.

The schools will be opened in these states at a total cost of Rs.660 crore with a cost-sharing pattern of 85:15 between the Central Government and the States.

The expenditure on the part of Central Government would be Rs.561 crore and the States will contribute Rs.99 crore. (ANI)