DMER to start full-time nurse recruitment in August; MSNA calls off strike after state assurances

Maharashtra nurses end strike after promises for full-time recruitment by August, addressing staffing issues and temporary hiring measures.

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra State Nurses Association (MSNA) has suspended its state-wide strike after receiving assurances from the state medical education department that full-time recruitment of nurses will begin from August through competitive exams.

DMER to start full-time nurse recruitment in August; MSNA calls off strike after state assurances

The decision came after a meeting on Thursday with Dheeraj Kumar, secretary of the Department of Medical Education and Drugs, who assured union leaders that the contentious contractual hiring model was only a temporary measure to prevent disruptions in healthcare services.

“In the Nanded case, the Hon’ble Bombay High Court instructed the department to fill all hospital-related posts immediately. Accordingly, nurses recruitment rules have been updated,” Kumar said.

He clarified that the outsourcing arrangement—introduced via a June 6 government order—was purely a stop-gap, valid only until December 31, 2025, or until regular recruitment is completed, whichever comes earlier. “There is no plan to privatise the nursing cadre,” he added.

Nearly 45,000 nurses had joined the protest demanding that all 5,000 vacant nursing posts be filled, contractual hiring be scrapped, and long-pending issues like promotions and allowances be resolved. During the eight-day strike, elective surgeries were deferred in several hospitals, with MSNA deploying ten-member squads to handle emergency cases.

MSNA state treasurer Raj Suryawanshi said, “We are satisfied that our demands have been understood. Institutions requiring contractual nurses must now seek our consent. Once regular hiring begins, contractual posts won’t be needed.”

The revised hiring policy follows directions from the Bombay High Court to address severe staffing gaps in public hospitals, especially in Nanded and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), where a spate of patient deaths last year triggered judicial and departmental scrutiny.

The nurses are now awaiting a final round of talks with state Health Minister Prakash Abitkar on July 29. They have also raised concerns over administrative transfers and demanded that all such moves be made voluntary—a matter under the public health department’s jurisdiction.

“We’re finally being heard after years. Once promotion orders are issued and transfer concerns resolved, we will be fully satisfied,” said Sumitra Tote, MSNA’s general secretary.