Many students graduating as medical nurses in Nepal are unemployed due to a lack of proper plans and policies by the government to provide them with employment opportunities.

During a programme organised by the Nursing Association of Nepal to mark the 199th International Nursing Day in BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences on Sunday, nurses expressed their dissatisfaction over the government’s apathy towards their profession.

Prof. Dr Tara Sah, central vice-chairperson of the Nursing Association of Nepal and Head of Community Health Nursing Department of BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, said, “Representatives of almost all the sectors are at the policy and decision-making level of the state, but the government has not even roped in a single professional nurse at the level.”

Sah also said that the government has not paid any attention towards empowering nurses in the country.

According to the data of the Nursing Association of Nepal, 85,000 nurses have registered with the Nursing Council. Among them, one fourth of nurses are unemployed at present. Qualified nurses are compelled to work in private nursing homes for as little as Rs 4,000-Rs 6,000 per month. Some even work as volunteers in private clinics and private hospitals across the country.

“Many students pursue nursing so that they can have a fulfilling career but Nepal is yet to recognise their contributions. Currently 35,000 nurses are working abroad due to a lack of concrete policy in Nepal. However, hospitals across the nation report a shortage of nurses,” said Sah.