The nursing students and nursing associations are planning to stage a protest demonstration on Friday across Sindh province against deliberate delay in nursing annual examination and unnecessary interference of high-ups of Sindh health department in Sindh nursing examination board affairs.
Reliable sources at Directorate of Nursing Sindh said that the nursing department was considered the backbone of health sector, but it had now reached the verge of collapse due to negligence and slackness of relevant authorities. They said nursing examination, which was scheduled to be held in September 2015, could not be conducted yet despite lapse of three months due to poor planning and negligence by the health department.
They explained that the provincial health department authorities could not appoint permanent controller in Sindh Nursing Examination Board Karachi against vacant post after the removal of controller on the apex court’s order and additional charge had been given to Deputy Director Nursing Habib Soomro who also failed to make arrangements to hold the examination on time.
The sources said that nursing examination in Punjab, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were held as per schedule in September 2015, but unfortunately, examination in Sindh province could not be held as yet. They said the examination would commence from 7th of December 2015 as per new schedule but the board administration had again failed to make arraignments in this regard.
On the other hand, unnecessary interference of an official of the health department and ex-controller nursing board in board affairs had put hundreds of nursing students’ future at stake in the province.
Focal Person Provincial Nurses Association (PNA) Syed Shahid Hussain said the nursing examination had been delayed in Sindh province over three months, and nursing associations were planning to stage protest from 4th of December if Sindh Nursing Examination Board made attempt to postpone the exams again. Secretary Health Dr Saeed Ahmed Mangnejo, when contacted, said that the nursing examination would be held as per schedule and all arrangement had been finalised in this regard. He said the health department officials were monitoring the affairs of nursing in order to bring improvement in this sector.