ABSTRACT
Based on two studies on nursing education and labour market situation in India, this chapter discusses how prevailing inequality in this sector pushes Indian nurses to seek out international opportunities. Findings of these studies suggest that there are hierarchies in nursing education and employment sectors in India. Government-run nursing colleges are financially more prudent and generally considered as offering better quality education. Subsequently, their graduates are more likely to be employed by government hospitals. Contrarily to this, nursing education in the private sector is more expensive, but considered of poorer quality in some colleges. As a result, graduates have fewer employment choices. Many private college graduates end up in private sector jobs with poor salaries and fewer (as compared to the public sector) benefits. Some of these nurses eventually consider employment opportunities abroad. Evidence suggests that nursing education in the private sector continues to grow in India. It is highly likely that India will continue to remain a major nurse supplying country to affluent countries in Asia, Europe and North America. Discussion indicates that there is a shortage of nurses in the country and improving nurse retention is critical to provide basic health service and achieve universal coverage as a United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal by 2030. The chapter concludes by suggesting there is an urgent need to improve nursing education standards in the private sector, nurses’ working conditions, and create decent work for the most precious health resources.
