3,500 pupil nurses to be recruited

Stanley Seneviratne, Kurunegala north group corr.

KURUNEGALA: The ministry of Health Services has decided to recruit 3,500 pupil nurses this year for training of government nursing schools to solve the acute shortage of nurses in government hospitals. Another 15,000 more nurses will be recruited during the next three years by the ministry to meet the shortage, said Dr. A. M. Senaratne, Assistant DMO Kurunegala district.

Dr. Senaratne said so addressing the meeting of the government ospital and family health nurses of Kurunegala district at Bingiriya district hospital recently.

Dr. Senaratne also observed that many trained nurses go abroad for lucratic employment opportunities as there is a great demand for nurses in those countries. Consequently our hospitals lack trained nurses.

Hence the Health Services Ministry had decided to recruit pupil nurses annually to give a better service to patients. W. M. Jayatilake, Divisional Secretary also spoke.