Nurses demand withdrawal of director

11 May 2010, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

Nurses Oikya Parishad, a platform of the nurses, yesterday demanded the government scrap the contract with Director of Nursing Services (DNS) Jahanara Begum and recruit a competent and regular one. At a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU), the leaders of the platform said that without having any higher educational qualification, Jahanara Begum, a diploma nurse, was appointed director for a year after her retirement. They said that Jahanara Begum patronised Diploma Nurses Association, a fake and unregistered association. In the name of member collection the association started extortion from the nurses. Those who refused to pay money were transferred and suspended by the order of the director. After reports were published at different newspapers, the health ministry forced the DNS to cancel those transfer orders, but did not take any action against the director. The leaders also alleged that she took money from the nurses for selecting them for foreign training, for giving timescale and for giving offer letter to the unemployed nurses. So, they demanded the government do not renew her contract in any way and recruit a competent and regular one. They also sent a memorandum to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in this regard on March 3. Other demands of the nurses include proper investigation into the corruption and irregularities done by Jahanara Begum and her associates, implementing the class II status of the nurses announced by the prime minister, filling up the vacant posts and changing the post of 'staff nurses' to 'senior staff nurses' as per the service rule. President of the Parishad Sabina Sharmin, General Secretary Mahmuda Parveen, Vice Presidents Anisur Rahman and Karima Khatun and Adviser Mostafizur Rahman also spoke at the press conference.