Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Male Nurses Say DMER’s 80:20 Rule Unfair, Submit Memorandum

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Hundreds of male nurses staged a protest at Kranti Chowk on Monday against the state government’s decision to fix an 80:20 female-to-male ratio for nurse recruitment under the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER). The agitators called the move discriminatory and demanded its immediate withdrawal.

Following the demonstration, a morcha was taken out from Kranti Chowk to the district collectorate, where a delegation submitted a memorandum to officials. More than 350 male nurses, along with nursing students, teachers, and hospital staff, participated in the protest.

The DMER, which oversees government medical colleges and hospitals across Maharashtra, recently introduced direct recruitment for nurses but decided that 80% of posts would be reserved for women and only 20% for men.

Protesters said the decision was unjust and would deprive several qualified male nurses of job opportunities. “This gender-based quota is unfair. The DMER must revoke the rule and ensure equal employment rights,” the agitators said in their memorandum.

The delegation that met the collector included Samyak Jamdhade, Durgadas Shinde, Sachin Khandare, Shankar Naiknavare, and Mayur Mhaske.