Kochi: The memo issued by the superintendent of Government Taluk Hospital, Angamaly, Dr Naseema Najeeb to two nurses who refused to work in place of pharmacists on leave, has triggered a controversy with the Trained Nurses Association of Kerala (TNAI) coming out with a statement in protest and demanding the authorities to withdraw the same.
According to the TNAI, the memo has been issued against staff nurses Rekha K.R. and Maya C.V.. They have been asked to show cause why action should not be taken against them for refusing to work in place of pharmacists on leave, when the head nurse and later the hospital superintendent asked them to do so.
"As per law, no one other than pharmacists should distribute medicine. When nurses are asked to do the job of pharmacists, it is a major lapse. Only unusual circumstances call for such deployment and in this case there is no such circumstance," said Dr Sona P.S. and Biju S.V., president and secretary, respectively, of the association.
They said that when two pharmacists go one emergency leave, the usual practice is to contact the District Medical Officer (DMO) for arranging a pharmacist from nearby hospitals.
"However, the practice being followed now is to impose such work on nurses without any inhibition and making no such intervention. This amounts to playing with the lives of the patients," said the leaders.
They said that they have submitted a petition to the hospital superintendent and Director of Health Services to withdraw the same.
They said that they will be forced to proceed legally unless the issue is dealt with positively.
