Keralam will soon establish a dedicated Nursing University to strengthen nursing education in the state, Chief Minister V D Satheesan said on Wednesday.The government has also decided to increase nursing seats in Kerala by 50 per cent while ensuring that the quality of education is not compromised, he said.While inaugurating the state conference of the Kerala Government Nurses Union, Satheesan said that the government would give special priority to the health sector despite its financial constraints, even if it had to limit spending in other departments.A large number of students from Keralam are going to other states to pursue nursing education, often spending ₹15-20 lakh for their studies, the CM pointed out.The government wants to bring nursing education back to Keralam and make it more accessible to students, he said, adding that the regulations imposed by the Keralam Nursing Council were stricter than those of the Indian Nursing Council.The government has decided to ease the regulations to facilitate the expansion of nursing education in the state, he further said.Increasing the number of seats would not come at the cost of academic standards, the chief minister assured, adding that the government was committed to strengthening the health education sector.
