Kerala Govt allows female nurse to join Kozhikode Medical College after six days delay, protests

KOZHIKODE: A female nursing officer, whose appointment in the Government Medical College here was being delayed and had led to severe criticism of the ruling Left government by the Congress and the BJP, entered service on Sunday, after a delay of six days. The Kerala High Court on March 1 ordered that the nursing officer -- P B Anitha -- be appointed in the vacancy that would arise in the Kozhikode Medical College on April 1. She had moved the High Court after the government in January transferred her to the Government Medical College in Idukki.

While Anitha alleged that the action was taken against her for testifying in favour of a woman allegedly sexually assaulted by an employee of the Government Medical College Hospital, state Health Minister Veena George had claimed that she was transferred on the basis of a DME report which found that there was a "supervisory lapse" on the part of the nursing officer. The minister had also stated that the alleged lapse on Anitha's part cannot be "ratified" by her subsequent conduct.

The High Court, while ruling in the favour of the nursing officer, had observed that no disciplinary proceedings were taken against her and that her transfer itself appeared to have been "an offshoot of an ongoing inquiry". The court had also observed that her transfer "implies that it is not for any administrative exigency but by way of punishment, that too, without conducting any proper inquiry".

Following the order in her favour, when Anitha reached the hospital on April 1, she was informed there was no order from the government to appoint her to the vacant post. It had led to her protesting outside the hospital, prompting both the Congress and BJP to support her and use her plight to attack the Left government and George. In the wake of the intense criticism against the government, the minister on Saturday evening said it has been decided that Anitha would be appointed to the vacant post subject to final orders of the High Court.

The state government has filed a petition seeking review of the High Court's March 1 order. George also said that the file related to Anitha's appointment reached the Health Department only recently and all the steps taken by the government in the matter were to safeguard the interests of the victim of the sexual assault -- an incident which had occurred in March last year. The Congress had alleged that the government stand had indicated that it was protecting those who tried to intimidate the victim. The victim, too, had come out in support of Anitha by claiming the nurse had stood up for her. The victim had also said that if persons who stood up for survivors like her are punished like this, no one would do so in the future.