'Raise pay, status of nurses'

Nurses should be entitled to a comparatively standard pay structure and status with respect to other professionals in the society, if Bangladesh is to lift its nursing services to international standards.
Health experts said this at the launching of a health magazine in the city's Birdem Hospital yesterday.
The experts also stressed on upholding the nurses' image in the country and improving their services through creating avenues of training abroad and giving promotions as per their skills.
A K Khan Healthcare Trust in association with Centre for Development Research, Bangladesh (CDRB) organised the launching ceremony of the magazine " Nurture" and a documentary film "I Am A Nurse" as a supplement to their efforts to enhance the image of the nursing profession in the country.
Prof Dr A K Azan Khan said, like many other countries in the world, Bangladesh is facing the crisis of skilled nurses. "It is frustrating that the doctor-nurse ratio in our country is 5:1 while the standard ratio should be 1:5," he said.
Poor financial support, lack of appreciation, vague status of nurses and negative social attitude towards them - are some of the factors that discourage the youths from joining this profession, he explained.
Terming nurses as the essential part of healthcare system, Azan Khan criticized the poor initiatives taken by government over the years for development of this profession.
He also opined that the nursing professional's package of salary and other facilities should be relevant to the intensive healthcare they provide to the people.
Chairman of CDRB Dr Mizanur Rahman Shelly, who chaired the occasion, said thousands of patients fail to get proper medical care due to shortage of skilled nurses.
Among others, health expert Dr Mohan Nagarajan and Dhiraj Radhi also spoke on the occasion.