Gender Equality is a MYTH in Nursing in India.

The Nursing Profession is far behind in India compared to the rest of the world and now a planned exclusion of males from the profession is making sure its negative progress. Be it Army Nurses Corp, Government and autonomous hospitals or corporate hospitals, recruitment of male nurses is the thing of past.

Gender Equality is a MYTH in Nursing in India.

As we celebrate the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife 2020, the nursing profession is soaring to new heights. However, India being the second-largest country in the world in terms of population has failed to protect the rights of nurses, especially male nurses.

Recent Changes

India holds the largest medical sector of the world which means the world's most nurses are in India. Also, India is the biggest supplier of nurses to various countries around the globe. But, nursing as a profession is deprived of development as discrimination on the various basis is very common. Recently, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the premier medical institute of the nation, held its fourth meeting of the Central Institute Body (CIB) on July 27, 2019, under Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, in which no nursing representative from any Nursing Council or Nursing Body was called in; it released its final minutes on October 28, 2019. CIB.jpeg.2d187f7b4716f3e7e76f8ec1d0203670.jpegCIB1.jpeg.379c81d27e42c8406111a8413a6eb844.jpeg

Beginning of the End for Male Nurses

This meeting decided many things that will be implemented in the healthcare sector along with point number 16. This point discriminates against male nurses of the country as it allows only 20% male nurses in the healthcare sector. As 80 out of 100 nurses will be females, males who have studied nursing or currently pursuing nursing will have no future as a nurse.

Two units of AIIMS, Nagpur and Patna recently released recruitment notice for nurses based on CIB recommendations. The former has reserved 80% posts for female nurses whereas the latter is one step ahead and will allow only 10% of the posts to be filled by male nurses. This is the beginning of the end for males in the nursing profession.

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The Past

This discrimination is not new to male nurses. In the beginning, males joining the nursing profession were considered taboo across the world. But, this narrative changed over time everywhere except India. Military Nursing Services (MNS) will still not consider taking any male nurses. There is not a single male nurse in MNS. mns.thumb.JPG.c9de40054d0a655d6c121dc0914d9566.JPG

Corporate and private sectors also keep away from recruiting male nurses. And recently this gender-based reservation in the government sectors has completely demolished the dream of millions of males who have studied nursing or aspire to be a nurse in the future.

Where Does the Problem Reside?

I might not be correct but this is the major issue behind this discrimination: The Administration. The Administration, which also takes nurses, doesn't want nurses to be the face of the healthcare system in India. Every hospital, Healthcare institute or regulatory body has only doctors as the administrators in India.

Nursing administrations, bodies or councils have limited themselves to making duty rosters, conducting semester exams or providing nursing licenses. Nobody talks about the up-gradation of nurses. The bitter truth is that nurses in India do not have any specialization in the healthcare system. If anyone pursues Masters in any nursing field, he or she will not get any special post or department. For example, It doesn't matter you hold a Master's degree in Pediatric Nursing, you won't be called a Pediatric Nurse and won't even get to work in the pediatric department.

Moreover, you don't get a senior post or a nursing administrative post on the basis of your education. It all gets decided by your work experience and special reservation in the promotion you get as per Indian constitution which is directly linked to your cast of birth. You can be a nurse administrator whether or not you hold a diploma or degree in nursing administration and it doesn't even require to hold a BSN degree.

Dominating the Nurses

Weaker nursing administration leaves an opportunity for others to dominate the nurses. A few years ago, Central government brought a bill that allows BSN nurses to complete a 2 years course which enables them to practice medicine at community health centres and allows them to diagnose, prescribe and treat the patients. Doctors opposed it nationwide and got it cancelled using their political approach.

Similar circumstances have happened this time where without consulting any nursing body, a discriminatory decision about nursing recruitment policies has been made. The clear reason behind this decision is the threat to the dominating nature of doctors in the healthcare system by male nurses. I'm sorry to say it, but female nurses of India have been fearful of administration since the beginning and never try to leave their comfort zone. It is 2020 and we still don't have a definitive cadre structure for nurses; we can't even think of becoming CRNA in India. An increasing number of male nurses in recent years promised hope of improvisation but it is also being demolished.

End Notes

Our only hope is the legal action against this gender-based discrimination. if this decision is not reverted, millions of male nurses will be left in the lurch. Without jobs, they will fail to pay back education loans and will struggle to survive. The future of nursing in India is dark and full of terrors.

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luckybanna

About luckybanna, BSN, RN

luckybanna is a BSN, RN and specializes in ER In Charge, Nurse Educator, Dialysis Nurse. Nursing Officer at AIIMS, NEW DELHI

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International threads and debate are sorely needed in AllNurses, I applaud your article.

A mentor of mine was a former female Indian Military registered nurse. She was telling me that she had nursing assistants with her at all times, including driving her home and even cooking and cleaning for her. She had not passed a med until she came to the United States since her assistants did all of the "physical" work.

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They are mostly Muslim, and I'm,sure there are alot of barriers to men nurses taking care of female patients. I think female patients husbands would be protesting a male nurse taking care of their wife.,

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Specializes in ER In Charge, Nurse Educator, Dialysis Nurse.
42 minutes ago, Asystole RN said:

International threads and debate are sorely needed in AllNurses, I applaud your article.

A mentor of mine was a former female Indian Military registered nurse. She was telling me that she had nursing assistants with her at all times, including driving her home and even cooking and cleaning for her. She had not passed a med until she came to the United States since her assistants did all of the "physical" work.

Military nursing service is acts as a guide to all nurses in India and they are presenting a bad example by excluding men from nursing.

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Specializes in ER In Charge, Nurse Educator, Dialysis Nurse.
On 1/21/2020 at 2:07 PM, LPN Retired said:

They are mostly Muslim, and I'm,sure there are alot of barriers to men nurses taking care of female patients. I think female patients husbands would be protesting a male nurse taking care of their wife.,

Nothing to do with the religion. In India, entire community of male nurses is being excluded from profession. If this was limited to a specific department, could have been justified. Also, why only nurses are being discriminated? Are there no male gynecologists? The sole purpose is to dominate the nurses and male are hard to be dominated so why not stop them from entering the profession.

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Specializes in Perioperative / RN Circulator.
10 hours ago, LPN Retired said:

They are mostly Muslim, and I'm,sure there are alot of barriers to men nurses taking care of female patients. I think female patients husbands would be protesting a male nurse taking care of their wife.,

India is 80% Hindu, 14% Muslim I don’t think Hindus have any explicit prohibition on males providing healthcare to females other than personal preference. I’d like to hear from someone who really knows.

More importantly, how does this justify the total exclusion of male nurses from military nursing?

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Specializes in ER In Charge, Nurse Educator, Dialysis Nurse.
4 hours ago, Silver_Rik said:

India is 80% Hindu, 14% Muslim I don’t think Hindus have any explicit prohibition on males providing healthcare to females other than personal preference. I’d like to hear from someone who really knows.

More importantly, how does this justify the total exclusion of male nurses from military nursing?

There is not a single male nurse in Indian military service or military nursing service. Moreover, since the beginning of nursing services in military, not a single male nurse has been recruited in MNS. If you read the attachment, it says female candidates only. We are still stuck at 2 genders, can't even think of 3rd gender.

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Specializes in Perioperative / RN Circulator.
9 hours ago, luckybanna said:

There is not a single male nurse in Indian military service or military nursing service. Moreover, since the beginning of nursing services in military, not a single male nurse has been recruited in MNS. If you read the attachment, it says female candidates only. We are still stuck at 2 genders, can't even think of 3rd gender.

What I said agreed with you. I was saying what do cultural barriers against men taking care of women patients have to do with male nurses working in a predominantly male organization (the military)

(actually I wonder if there’s an element of homophobia in this case)

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Thank you for this article and for spreading awareness. Coming from the US it makes me cringe to see even an age limit on the job postings and the pay. and to now exclude men from this profession altogether- I can't even wrap my head around this. I'm guessing Indias labor laws are lacking or do you even have labor laws- not putting India down in anyway- my ancestors are from there, just do not have much knowledge of the laws of the country.

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Specializes in ER In Charge, Nurse Educator, Dialysis Nurse.
On 1/31/2020 at 11:11 PM, thinbluelineRN said:

Thank you for this article and for spreading awareness. Coming from the US it makes me cringe to see even an age limit on the job postings and the pay. and to now exclude men from this profession altogether- I can't even wrap my head around this. I'm guessing Indias labor laws are lacking or do you even have labor laws- not putting India down in anyway- my ancestors are from there, just do not have much knowledge of the laws of the country.

Law is there but it is outdated. nobody is there to raise or voice. doctors publish some studies suggesting the exclusion of males from nursing and top management approves it as only doctors are there. practising nurses do not get to do a study or research. Somehow, if student nurses come up with such studies which favour nurses, it doesn't get approved and the reason is the same as above. all in all, we are living in early 19th century of the nursing profession.

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20-25% male nurses are OK for any hospital...they can be good in handling emergency patients... they can be good in handling male patients private procedures... male patients won't feel any upset at any procedure leaving only at intimate procedures...but it's not same for female patients...a small touch even by a male nurse is uncomfortable for women... so 20-25% is good

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This is totally outrageous... a male patient if only wants a male nurse in Operation theatre... he would have to struggle to find it.. he wants his modesty... let's start a change... I don't want a woman to even take my blood sample... why would I let femalet nurse to be present for intimate procedures... this is ridiculous... do men don't have modesty issues... start a change... atleast 30% staff should be male nurse in every hospital

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