Nepali nurses, recognised for quality service, are unfortunately having a tough time finding jobs in their own homeland. The 40 nursing campuses being run by the Tribhuvan University, Purbanchal University, Kathmandu University and the private ones under the Council of Technical Education and Vocational Training churn out around thousand nursing graduates annually. Similarly, nursing homes and clinics are also mushrooming nationwide. Yet, the rising unemployment rate of nurses is a sharp reminder of the wide gap between actual demand and supply. Only the financially well-off can find jobs in hospitals or afford to go abroad, whereas nurses from ordinary backgrounds are left to face endless hardships finding a placement.

It is indeed ironical that on the one hand qualified nurses are without jobs, while on the other, health posts in remote areas like Achham and Doti are being run without them. Recruitment of nurses for remote areas is not a bad idea provided the service motive takes precedence over personal considerations and monetary gains. Ditto for all other professionals like doctors, engineers, teachers etc. For this, both the government and Maoists will have to create a fav-ourable environment with lots of incentives thrown in to entice the skilled and semi-skilled workforce to inaccessible areas. Above all, creating self-employment opportunities by providing basic healthcare facilities in villages for ordinary ailments such as fever, diarrhoea, cough and cold besides dressings and injections for a small fee is essential in the bid to make these professionals independent and self-reliant.