7th CPC- Operation Theatre Allowance In The Committee Report

Operation Theatre Allowance : Report of the Committee Allowances – 7th CPC

Operation Theatre Allowance (Para 8.10.35, 8.10.80)

Existing Provision: This allowance is granted to 35 percent of the Staff Nurses in Central Government Hospitals, who work in ICU/Operation Theatres. The current rate is ₹240 per month.

Reasons mentioned by 7th CPC for recommending abolition: The allowance has meagre rates. With the proposed rise in pay, this allowance is no longer required.

Demands:

I. M/o Health & FW: The Nurses had demanded a separate Risk & Hardship (R&H) Allowance in addition to this allowance. Ministry was of the view that If both R&H Allowance and Operation Theatre Allowance cannot be considered together for Nurses, R&H Allowance alone may be considered.

II. National Council (Staff Side), JCM: Dressers are specially trained to perform this job in Operation theatre so it should be retained.

Analysis and Recommendations of the Committee:

Nurses with special training (such as oncology, neonatal intensive care) are deployed in the ICU, CCU etc. This allowance is granted to 35% of the total nursing staff. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has strongly recommended that this allowance be retained on functional grounds. The Committee, therefore, recommends that this allowance be retained and the existing rate of ₹ 360 per month may be multiplied by a factor of 1.5. This will benefit approximately 17000 employees. Additional financial implication is estimated to be ₹ 3.86 crore per annum.