3 days ago
Male nursing officers in Telangana demand equal promotion opportunities
The Telangana Nurses Joint Action Committee (TNJAC) has urged the State government to remove barriers preventing male nursing officers from securing promotions, calling the existing rules discriminatory and in violation of constitutional provisions ensuring equality.
In a statement issued on Sunday (August 10), the committee said that while male candidates were permitted to enrol in government nursing colleges nearly two decades ago, they continue to face career stagnation due to outdated government orders.
The issue dates back to 2005, when the then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy convinced the Indian Nursing Council to allow men into nursing courses, leading to the issuance of G.O. No. 82 on May 8, 2005. A year later, under G.O. No. 320, nursing schools were upgraded to colleges, paving the way for male admissions in all government nursing institutions.
Since 2011, around 1,000 to 1,200 male nurses have been serving in government posts. The TNJAC pointed out that in 2024, no male candidates were included in the seniority list for lecturer promotions, forcing some to seek judicial intervention.
The neighbouring State of Andhra Pradesh has already acted on this directive. Through G.O. No. 47, issued on March 14, 2024, the State amended its Nursing Service Rules by replacing the phrase 'only women' with 'men and women', ensuring that male candidates could also benefit from promotions. The TNJAC has appealed to the Telangana government to follow suit to align with constitutional provisions.
