'Hire nurses from Maharashtra': United Nurses Association writes to CM

United Nurses Association, Maharashtra, raised concerns over Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's "temporary initiative" to bring 100 nurses from Kerala to contribute against the COVID-19 crisis, in a letter on Monday.

The association urged the state government to consider the nurses from Maharashtra rather than calling help from outside, as per the letter signed by Jibin TC, State President of United Nurses Association.

The letter also stated that a total of 129 nurses have been selected through the DMER (Directorate of Medical Education and Research Mumbai) exam and are awaiting their appointment.

Besides these, the local government in Mumbai and Pune are in the process of hiring more than 550 nurses on the basis of three-months contracts, according to the official letter.

The Nurses Association also drew attention to potential discrimination towards the nurses hired on short-term contracts, in the letter.

The letter also highlighted some ways to combat the coronavirus pandemic, without resorting to other states' medical staff. It reads, "States such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu have shown that it is possible to recruit the health personnel for permanent employment rapidly in the current context."

With 52,667 confirmed cases and 1,695 deaths, Maharashtra has the highest number of cases for COVID-19 in the country, as per the Union Health Ministry.

( With inputs from ANI )