Kerala to give up internship to nursing students

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 28: Kerala government has decided to recall an order making the one-year internship compulsory for nursing students in the state.

An assurance in this regard was given today by Health Minister Adoor Prakash in the assembly while replaying to a submission made by Shafi Parambil (Cong).

Internship was part of the courses offered to para-medical students by different universities in the state and so, there was no need for a compulsory one-year internship, he said.

Shafi said nursing students were being exploited by self-financing nursing colleges by forcing them to work a regular staff in hospitals in the name of internship.

The students were not given any facilities and were subjected to exploitation, he said. The payment to them for doing more than 12-hour duty was only between Rs 1500 and Rs 2000, he said.

One-year internship for nursing students was made compulsory by the previous CPI-M led LDF Government.

Asnwering another submission, Prakash said the government was planning to bring amendemnts in the State Organ Transplant Law to simplify the proceedures for donating organs.

A M Vincent (Cong) wanted the government to bring in a law similar to the one existed in neighbouring Tamil Nadu for Organ Transplant in the state.

PTI