Job Intentions of Nurses Trained in Public and Private Institutions in Tamil Nadu, India: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Nurses form an essential component of the health-care system of a country. The 2006 World Health Report highlighted the critical shortage of both nurses and nursing faculty in 57 countries, including India.[1] In India, the 12th 5-year plan document highlights the scarcity of nurses and midwifery at the country level.[2] While this observation is correct at the country level, the four southern states, namely, Tamil Nadu (TN), Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh account for 78% of nursing institutions offering Bachelor and Master of Science in Nursing (BSc.[N]) in India.[3] In the past 5 years, TN has witnessed a significant increase in the number of private institutions for training nurses and midwives. There were 40 private nursing colleges offering BSc.(N) degree in 2006. By 2014, there were 165 private colleges – these include both for-profit and missionary hospitals (which are non-profit oriented). In the meantime, the public sector has not been growing as quickly, increasing from two colleges in 2006 to four colleges in 2014. It should be noted that excess production of nurses in the state does not mean that there is no shortage of nurses (as per official norms) in public or private facilitiesa. 1Acute shortage of human resources, particularly paramedical staff, in public facilities continues to constrain the effective functioning of public health system across the country.