Nursing College mired in problems

Nizamabad: The Government Nursing College, situated on the premises of the Medical College in the town is plagued by not one or two, but several problems.

The students, hailing from poor and humble backgrounds have joined the college hoping to mould their careers are a highly disappointed lot as basic amenities in the college are woefully inadequate. With service as their motto, they thought that they could settle down in their lives as nurses but are now heartbroken.

Earlier, the nursing college used to run from the old district hospital in the town. After getting permission from the Medical Council of India for starting a medical college, the students’ hostel was demolished. With the construction of new buildings in progress, the nursing college was relegated to the background.

Presently, the nursing college is housed in the backyard of the district hospital in a temporary building meant for the doctors. For the last three years, the college was bereft of sufficient teaching staff, a principal, non-teaching staff, cooks, wardens and there was no facility to provide drinking water facility.

Apart from the students from Nizamabad, students belonging to Bodhan town have also joined as inmates of the hostel. Among these, there are 72 from Nizamabad and 41 from Bodhan making up a total of 113 nursing students.

The Principal's post has remained vacant ever since the former Principal was promoted and transferred to Hyderabad. Although there should be 12 teaching staff according to the stipulated guidelines, there is not even a single teacher.

In order to help the nursing students somehow, the Superintendent of the district hospital has made a temporary arrangement by appointing six nurses as teachers who are conducting classing for the students. Furthermore, the college is woefully short of attenders or peons.

One of the peons retired recently and the students themselves have pooled money and decided to appoint a servant to look after needs.

The students are forced to go to the market to purchase vegetables, fruits and other essential commodities necessary for cooking purposes in the hostel by mobilising money.

Another major problem plaguing the students was the scarcity of drinking water, and also in toilets and bathrooms. The tank has remained unfilled.

To their dismay, a pipeline that was connected to the postmortem room was attached to their hostel, posing a major health hazard.

Pouring out their woes, students said that they were forced to spend a lot of money in purchasing mineral water from drinking purposes. They lamented that they had to spend their stipend in purchasing essential commodities and were forced to depend on their parents for extra money.

Speaking to The Hans India here on Wednesday, Hospital Superintendent Dr Narendra Kumar said that there was need for a full-fledged Principal and teaching staff.

He said that he would take up the problems facing the students immediately with the government. A letter has already been sent to the government in this regard, he added.