Nurses at LHMC staged protests after reports that a private firm had been contracted to recruit nursing staff, allegedly without a tender process.
The Central Government Nurses Federation warned that outsourcing nursing services could compromise patient care, professional standards and job security.
Nursing unions and staff say hospital expansion and rising patient loads have not been matched by adequate recruitment, worsening workforce shortages.
The Union government-run Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC) and the Super Speciality Building (SSB) of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital have reportedly decided to outsource the hiring of nursing staff, triggering protests among nurses.
According to sources, Gurgaon-based M4 Solutions has been contracted to recruit nurses for LHMC, with the first round of interviews reportedly held at the college on Thursday. But, the staff members in the hospital allege that no tender was floated to select the company for outsourcing either.
Nurses at LHMC staged a protest on Friday, while a General Body meeting has been convened for Saturday by the hospital’s three nursing unions — the LHMC & SSK Nurses Welfare Association, Delhi Nurses Union, and LHMC & SSK Nurses Union — to decide the future course of action, including the possibility of further protests.
Slamming the move, the General Secretary of the Central Government Nurses Federation (CGNF) Sanil George said the government had failed to think through the implications of outsourcing nursing services.
“The government has not thought this through. Outsourcing nursing services will compromise patient safety and continuity of care, reduce accountability in healthcare delivery, and weaken professional standards and ethical practices. It will only increase exploitation and job insecurity among nurses and adversely affect the efficiency of public healthcare institutions,” said George.
Nurses at LHMC, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the hospital’s bed strength had increased significantly without a corresponding rise in staff numbers. According to them, LHMC had a bed strength of 877, which rose to 1,397 during the Covid years, but nursing staff strength was not increased in line with this expansion.
“There should have been staff recruitment. Instead, the hospital is ensuring backdoor entry,” one nurse alleged.
Staff shortage on the rise
The nurses further said outsourcing at the hospital had so far largely been limited to nursing assistance and sanitation staff, a move they described as manageable because such roles do not directly share responsibility for patient care. “Patient welfare is on the nurses,” one staff member said.
“We already have contract staff in the hospital and they do not work effectively. Any task assigned to them is met with the response that they will work according to the salary they are paid, which they consider fair,” said another nurse. “The government should focus on hiring permanent staff, because that is what is important.”
The CGNF has also written to the Union Ministry of Health, flagging concerns over the ongoing expansion of healthcare services and the opening of new departments at LHMC and the SSB Building of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital without a proportional increase in nursing posts.
The federation highlighted shortages across multiple positions, including Nursing Officers, Senior Nursing Officers, Assistant Nursing Superintendents and Nursing Superintendents.
“The already depleted nursing workforce cannot be expected to shoulder the additional workload created by these expansions,” the federation said in its letter.
“Expansion of infrastructure without adequate human resource planning is not healthcare development; rather, it is a serious threat to patient safety and quality healthcare delivery. If immediate corrective measures are not taken, the situation may lead to administrative failure, burnout among healthcare workers, medical errors and disastrous consequences for public health services.”
Stressing the critical role of nurses, the letter added: “Nursing is not merely a supportive service but a highly skilled, professional and critical component of the healthcare delivery system. The safety, dignity and lives of patients cannot be compromised through contractual or outsourced arrangements driven by cost-cutting measures.”
The federation has urged the ministry to immediately review nursing manpower across all Central government hospitals, create and sanction posts in line with Staff Inspection Unit (SIU) norms and patient load and begin recruitment to fill vacancies. The organisation has underscored that no new department, ward, or healthcare facility should be made operational without corresponding manpower provisions and has called for the immediate withdrawal of any proposal to outsource nursing services or other essential patient-care responsibilities in Central Government Hospitals.
Outlook has sent questionnaires to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Director of LHMC and M4 Solutions and are awaiting their response.
