Cal HC asks Bengal govt to include names of 18 nursing institutes for admission in two courses

Nursing Course as well as for the G.N.M. general nursing and midwifery Course for the academic year 2022-23, Justice Kausik Chanda directed.The nursing institutions had moved the high court claiming that their names have not been included by the state in the seat matrix for the two courses for the academic year 2022-23 even after obtaining the essentiality certificate from the director of health services, West Bengal.The institutions also have affiliation with West Bengal University of Health Sciences, it was stated.

The Calcutta High Court on Friday directed the West Bengal government to include the names of 18 institutions in the seat matrix for BSc (nursing) as well the general nursing and midwifery (GNM) course for the academic year of 2022-23.

The court directed that these nursing institutions be allowed to participate in the ongoing counselling process.

''I direct the State to include the names of the writ petitioners in the Seat Matrix for the B.Sc. (Nursing) Course as well as for the G.N.M. (general nursing and midwifery) Course for the academic year 2022-23,'' Justice Kausik Chanda directed.

The nursing institutions had moved the high court claiming that their names have not been included by the state in the seat matrix for the two courses for the academic year 2022-23 even after obtaining the essentiality certificate from the director of health services, West Bengal.

The institutions also have affiliation with West Bengal University of Health Sciences, it was stated. The state had tried to justify its stand of not including the names of these institutions by filing an affidavit which suggested that the petitioners have failed to obtain necessary recognition from the Indian Nursing Council under the Indian Nursing Council Act, 1947.

It was further submitted by the state that the statutory inspection in these institutions by the Indian Nursing Council revealed certain deficiencies.

The institutions submitted that the institutions are in the process of fixing the defects and in some cases the defects have already been cured.

Justice Chanda noted that the Indian Nursing Council has made it clear that pending consideration of the suitability of the training institutions does not stand in the way of inclusion of their names in the seat matrix for the relevant academic year until and unless an appropriate order is passed under the Indian Nursing Council Act, 1947.