Tamil Nadu Health Dept revises working hours of Nursing Assistants, housekeeping staff

Chennai: In response to complaints of long working hours, the State Health Department has allotted 8-hour shifts to Nursing Assistant (Grade-II) and housekeeping staffers (Grade D) on a rotation basis at all Government Medical College Hospitals and Primary Health Centres in Tamil Nadu.

The department has modified the working hours to offer round-the-clock services to the patients. As a result, the schedule has been divided into three shifts - 6 am to 2 pm (1st shift), 1 pm to 9 pm (2nd shift), and 8 pm to 6 am (3rd shift). While half of the staff members will work in the first shift, the remaining half will be split (25% each) into second and third shifts.

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A Government Order (GO) issued by the department stated, "The government has considered this file along with relevant documents. Based on the judgment of the Madurai Branch of the Madras High Court read in view 1, the working hours of the Nursing Assistant Grade-2 and Shop Staff, Hospital Staff and Cleaners (D Grade Employees) working in the Government Medical Colleges, Hospitals and Primary Health Centers under the Department of Medicine - Public Welfare have been fixed and ordered."

Further, it added, "50 per cent of the in-service Nursing Assistant Grade-II and shop staff, hospital staff and cleaners (D Group) will work in the first cycle, 25 per cent in the second cycle and 25 per cent in the third cycle.”

In August 2014, the Health Department witnessed several grade D employee associations filing a writ petition at the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court, seeking an eight-hour duty as reported by DT NEXT. 

The petition, presented by the All Workers and Sanitary Workers' Association, highlighted the excessive working hours endured by grade D workers, such as nurse assistants, sanitary workers, hospital staff, cooks, and operation theatre assistants, who currently work for more than 12 hours each day. Their plea emphasized the need for the adoption of an 8-hour shift system. 

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