Viju - for Daijiworld News Network - Mangalore

Mangalore, Jan 18: All aspiring nurses will only have the option to do BSc in Nursing and not a quick Diploma in nursing, because the Central government and the Central Nursing Council has decided to scrap off diploma in nursing course by 2010. This was disclosed by Karnataka Nursing Council, Bangalore registrar Muninarayanappa while speaking on the occasion of lamp lighting ceremony 2006 and oath taking ceremony of the 11th batch of GNM and 9th batch of BSc (N) students of Laxmi Memorial Institute and College of Nursing at Moti Kala Mantap here on Tuesday.

The students of Laxmi Memorial College of Nursing lighting candles at the oath taking ceremony held at Moti Kala Mantap on Tuesday.

With this decision in place, the last intake for the course will be in 2010 and so the aspiring nurses must also think of higher education, said Muninarayanappa. Further the BSc Nursing syllabus is revised and is before the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, which will be implemented in the State shortly. The course has been made 3.5 years with 6 months of internship. The eligibility will be PCB and English with an aggregate of 50 per cent, said Muninarayanappa.

It is estimated that by 2010 there will be a need for 5 lakh nurses in India and 1 million globally. Karnataka will require 8,000 nurses in the next two years while the nation will require 40,000 to 45,000 nurses," he said.

Laxmi Memorial Education Trust director Prashanth Shetty, principal Vishalakshi, HOD Maria Pinto, Prof Larsa Martha Sam, lecturers Melita and Diana Lobo were present.