AHMEDABAD: A major hospital in Ahmedabad scouted as far as Odisha and Himachal Pradesh for trained nurses to handle Covid duty.
Nurses, paramedical staff and peripheral staff got their share of limelight in talent hunt launched by several hospitals.
At its peak, Ahmedabad city had 107 private hospitals treating over 6,000 Covid patients.
“Almost all available nurses – including fresh graduates from some of the nursing colleges – were employed.
When there was a sudden demand for Covid beds, talent agencies from other states were approached.
Several nurses were brought to the city on the condition of free accommodation and meals,” said a senior HR official.
Dr M M Prabhakar, president of Gujarat Nursing Council said that majority of the nursing colleges recorded sharp rise in demand in both 2020 and 2021.
“The demand got translated into monetary gain.” A staff nurse gets Rs 40,000 in government hospitals, whereas those on contractual appointment gets Rs 25,000-Rs 30,000.
Those on outsourcing job gets Rs 15,000, said industry experts.
In private hospitals, the pay varies between Rs 25,000 to Rs 40,000 based on nature of duty, they added.