Chennai, Dec 22 The impasse between the Tamil Nadu government and protesting contract nurses continued on Monday, even as Health and Family Welfare Minister Ma Subramanian held a fresh round of negotiations and announced several measures aimed at addressing their long-standing demands.
With the agitation entering its fifth consecutive day, representatives of the Tamil Nadu Nurses Development Association met the Minister at the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University in Guindy.
Senior Health Department officials, including Secretary P. Senthilkumar, also participated in the discussions.
Addressing the media after the meeting, Subramanian said several "legitimate demands" raised by the nurses were being examined with empathy and seriousness. He noted that since the DMK assumed office, 3,614 contract nurses had already been regularised.
"The Chief Minister has asked us to study all justified demands and take appropriate action," he said.
Among the key announcements was the creation of 750 new nursing posts, for which appointment orders would be issued before Pongal.
Of these, 724 positions would be reserved for those who served during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, the Health Minister said that permanent orders would soon be issued to 169 nurses who have already completed the required service conditions.
On maternity benefits — a major sticking point for the protesters, Subramanian said the government is actively considering extending paid maternity leave to MRB and consolidated-pay nurses.
He also revealed that a government order establishing nursing colleges at government medical college hospitals is in the pipeline.
The minister criticised the MRB recruitment system introduced in 2014–15 during the previous AIADMK regime, terming it flawed and inadequate.
"This government does not merely promise in its manifesto; it ensures implementation," he stated.
Despite the assurances, protesting nurses refrained from calling off their agitation immediately, saying they would consult their leadership before deciding the next step.
The ongoing protest dates back to December 18, when contract nurses launched a hunger strike on Sivanantha Salai with a 10-point charter of demands, including equal pay for equal work and permanent appointments for all consolidated-pay nurses.
After being removed from the site and dropped at the Kilambakkam bus terminus, the nurses continued their protest there, later shifting to a sit-in near the primary health centre at Guduvancheri.
The fate of the protest now hinges on the unions’ response to the government’s fresh assurances.
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