Unemployed nurses call off demos

Unemployed nurses on Sunday withdrew their month-long demonstration following the government's assurance on "humanitarian grounds" that recruitment would follow the traditional seniority and merit basis and not be through tests.

"The issue will be finalised after discussions with the prime minister," Health Minister Mohammed Nasim told a delegation meeting him at his Dhanmondi residence on May 1, says a press release.

He said the government created 10,000 posts and 7,000 would be recruited this year. He also offered drinks, prompting the delegation to call off a hunger strike the nurses embarked on since April 29 in front of the capital's Jatiya Press Club.

The demonstrators have been staging a sit-in there since April 3 protesting a March 28 Public Service Commission circular on recruiting 3,616 senior nurses. The circular says applicants aged below 36 years and attaining Bachelor of Science and diploma in nursing had to take an exam.

The demonstrators said the test prerequisite was unjust as those attaining the educational qualifications a few years back and approaching 36 might be left out.

On April 24, Bangladesh Nurses Oikya Parishad had also handed over a memorandum to the prime minister and health minister.