Source: The Hindu
Context: More than two-thirds of India’s registered nursing workforce are yet to be brought under the Nurses Registration and Tracking System (NRTS), despite the digital platform having been introduced over seven years ago. Government data tabled in the Lok Sabha show only 14.24 lakh of 46.02 lakh registered nursing personnel are enrolled, leaving 31.78 lakh outside the national system.
What It Is
A digital platform launched by the Indian Nursing Council (INC) in association with the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to maintain a live national register of nursing personnel and provide a common online platform for:
- Primary registration
- Renewal
- Reciprocal (inter-State) registration
- Higher qualification registration
- Other related services
Personnel covered: Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), Registered Nurses and Registered Midwives (RN & RM), and Lady Health Visitors (LHVs). Enrolment leads to issue of a National Unique Identity (NUID) card.
Consequences of Incomplete Rollout
- Nurses wait months for No Objection Certificates (NOCs) required to change their place of employment.
- Those seeking overseas employment face delays in credential verification, affecting career opportunities and livelihoods.
- Duplication and delay: the Indian Professional Nurses Association (IPNA) contends that several State Nursing Registration Councils continue to process registration, renewal and reciprocal registration through their own systems, defeating the purpose of a centralised registry.
