Govt eases age for nurses

The government has again relaxed the age limit for nursing jobs to fill up some 4,000 posts.

It will allow those who will turn 36 in December 2015 to enter jobs as nurses in public hospitals.

Monday’s regular Cabinet meeting approved a proposal on this placed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Cabinet Secretary Muhammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan pointed out that the number of nurses in Bangladesh was far below that of doctors.

“The government has taken this matter into consideration,” he told reporters, adding that programmes to appoint nurses had been undertaken.

The secretary said 3,728 nursing posts were lying vacant at government facilities and the prime minister had spoken in favour of appointing another 10,000 senior nurses.

Bhuiyan said the government was trying to formulate a combined guideline for appointing nurses, bringing together the four existing guidelines.

“It’s nearly done,” he added.

Age limit for nurses were increased to 36 years from 30 years on June 17, 2013.

But the age limit relaxation expired in December 2013, the secretary said, adding, “Some were appointed during this period but the health ministry said the age limit should be relaxed.”

However, those who completed nursing courses after 2006 have not been able to get government jobs and many of them had crossed the age of 30, he noted.

Appointment to these posts will be done through the Public Service Commission. But the general age limit for entering government jobs is 30, according to PSC rules.

Bhuiyan said the government decided to increase the age bar for nurses keeping these facts in mind.

He hoped the new appointments would ease crisis of nurses at hospitals.

“We’ll have all the nurses we need,” he said adding, “the people will be benefitted.”