Dehradun, May 12
Nurses and ASHA workers, care givers to hundreds of patients who work round the clock to assist various health programmes, are overstretched and overburdened.

While the nursing fraternity feels great pride in nurse Lalita Bisht from Haldwani being awarded the Florence Nightingale award in the Capital by the President of India on the International Nurses Day today, for most it will be just another day.

Nurses who are clamouring for better pay structures and reduced duty hours will nevertheless be hoping that some day their voice will be heard.

At Doon Government Hospital and District Women’s Hospital in the city, seven nurses cater to 200-250 patients everyday.

At the Neo Natal Care Centre at the District Women’s Hospital, two nurses are required to look after 14 patients. The Doon Hospital has 82 nurses while the District Women’s Hospital has just 28.

In Uttarakhand, against the sanctioned strength of 255, only 143 nurses are on the job and there is a shortage of 112 nurses.

“We are badly hit with shortage of nursing staff. I have been told at the District Women’s Hospital at times nurses engaged in the labour room have also to work at the Neo Natal Care Centre. We hope to overcome the shortage once our Nurses’ Training Institute becomes functional,” said DG, health, Dr PL Joshi.

But the almost inhuman working hours have not affected the morale of the nurses at the District Women’s Hospital who through their herculean efforts managed to save little Sonu Thapa born to poor parents. The infant’s mother is battling for life at the Doon Hospital ICU.

“Our team of doctors and nurses managed to save the infant who came to us last Sunday. The father could not afford to treat the child at private clinics. The child was underweight and had to be kept in a warmer to normalise his body temperature.

“But here the services are almost free. Had there been more nurses, the serve would be better too,” said Krishna Rawat, sister in charge, neo-natal Services.

Things don’t seem to be brightening up for the nurses. They have been agitating for the last one year in support of their demands which have not been met on one pretext or the other.

Nurses appointed at district hospitals and health centres in all 13 districts of the state are furious over the callous approach of the health department.

They are seeking timely promotions, uniform allowance, removal of pay anomalies
and risk allowance.

“Since the last one year, as a mark of protest we have not been wearing our uniform. We postponed our agitation due to the elections but we may raise our demands once again in days to come,” said Anjana Bhowmick, general secretary, Uttarakhand Nurses Association.

Besides nurses, auxillary nurses and accredited social health activists (ASHA) are the lifeline of several health programmes.

Access to health services in general and maternal health services in particular is a major problem in Uttarakhand due to tiny villages scattered in the hills without transport and road connectivity.

To make basic primary healthcare services readily available and to make community mobilisation a realty at the grassroots level, accredited social health activists have been recruited from within the community and given training in all districts.

These volunteers act as link workers, collect information on the health status of villagers, disseminate information on the reproductive and child health programme and immunisation outreach camps, encourage women to utilise institutional services for deliveries and act as depot holders for family planning and other health products.

“Under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), the state has set an ambitious target of training 3,305 ASHA workers covering Uttarkashi, Tehri Garhwal and Almora districts and one block each from the remaining 10 districts.

“To improve maternal health services, a total of 1,977 auxiliary nurse/midwives (ANMs) are carrying out registration of pregnancies.

“They have been entrusted with the task of registrating pregnancies, particularly in the first trimester,” said Dr Anil Sharma, additional director, National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).

To tackle the shortage, five ANM centres have been set up at Pauri, Dehradun, Udham Singh Nagar, Almora and Pithoragarh.

“There is a shortage of 44 ANMs in Tehri, five in Dehradun and 20 in Uttarkashi. To ensure that the ANMs continue to work in villages, they are being selected from districts where the need for auxiliary nurses is more,” explained Dr Anil Sharma.

By July 2009, 150 ANMs are expected to be in service. As of now, the state is facing a shortage of 180 auxiliary nurses. As many as 110 are undergoing training.

Dehradun, May 12
With Uttar Pradesh finally deciding to put forward proposal of inclusion of Amangarh area of Bijnore forest division as buffer zone of Jim Corbett National Park before the National Tiger Conservation Authority, another 80 sq km will be added to the park.

Wildlife experts have been suggesting an increase in the area of the park particularly over the problem of spillover of tigers in Corbett.

There has been a rise in incidents of territory struggle among tigers following which the demand to increase the park area has gained ground in recent times.

“We have given final stamp of approval for inclusion of Amangarh tehsil of Bijnore forest division intoo Corbett,” said Chief Wildlife Warden, Uttar Pradesh, BK Patnaik.

While the final consent for inclusion of Amangarh area in Corbett has to be done by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, Uttar Pradesh’s decision comes in the wake of long-drawn tripartite talks involving UP, Uttarakhand and the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

The issue of extension of territory of Corbett tiger reserve came up for discussion on April 12 when Union Cabinet Secretary KM Chandrasekar had visited Corbett.

Wildlife authorities from Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh had in May last year held talks to increase the area of Corbett as means to provide more area for movement of tigers and also to check poaching and other anti-wildlife activities in the reserve from the southern side.

The southern boundary of the park, which is in close proximity to Bijnore forest division of Uttar Pradesh, has been in the thick of anti-wildlife activities.

Dr Rajesh Gopal of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, who has been on regular visits to Corbett, has been favouring better coordination between the wildlife authorities of the two states.

Dr Hem Singh Gehlot, expert in tiger-behaviour studies, in favour of increasing the buffer area of Corbett, welcomed the inclusion of Amangarh area to Corbett.

He suggested that ranges of Lansdowne Forest Division in Corbett, which fall between Corbett and Rajaji, be added to the buffer area of the park taking into account their significance as an important link for movement of wildlife.

“The inclusion of ranges of Lansdowne forest division will prove of immense benefit for tiger movement as it will substantially increase tiger territory,” Gehlot said.

Dehradun, May 12
The Vishwa Bhasa Sahitya Sansthan has decided to confer the first Dr Girjashankar Trivedi Samman to poet Bharat Bhushan of Meerut.

The award carries an amount of Rs 11,000 and a scroll of honour. A seven-member committee finalised the name of Bharat Bhushan after scrutinising the names of a number of personalities at the national level.

The announcement was made at a meeting of literary personalities of Dehradun organised to mark the 71st birth anniversary of late Dr Girja Shankar Trivedi.

Presiding over the meeting, Dr Achlanand Jakhmola described Dr Trivedi as towering personality and recalled his contribution to Hindi literature.

Dr Basanti Matpal held that Dr Trivedi continues to be at the centre stage of Hindi literary scene for over past four decades.

Dr Budhinath Mishra, president of Vishwa Bhasa Sahitya Sansthan, said that the void created by Dr Trivedi’s demise cannot be filled easily.

Lokesh Ohri, joint secretary, Reach, reaffirmed Reach’s commitment to work for promotion of literary and cultural activities.