The Odisha government has introduced a new dress code for its nursing staff, aiming to create a professional and uniform look for employees in the state’s nursing service cadre. The updated guidelines, announced by a state health department official on Monday, detail different dress patterns and color schemes for various nursing positions.
According to a recent letter from the Health and Family Welfare Department to the Nursing Director, these dress code adjustments specify six distinct patterns across the nursing ranks, categorized by color. Female nursing staff have traditionally worn white sarees or dresses paired with white aprons, but the new regulations change this significantly.
As an effort to enhance professionalism, all officers of the cadre…will have their name and designation inscribed on their uniform
Odisha's Health Department official
The new color-coded dress guidelines will see nursing officers and senior nursing officers (female) wear light lavender uniforms, while assistant nursing superintendents (ANS) will adopt cyan blue attire. For deputy nursing superintendents (DNS) and nursing superintendents (NS), the attire will remain largely white with a distinctive deep purple trim along the collar of their aprons.
All nursing staff, both male and female, will be required to wear scrub suits while working in indoor settings such as intensive care units (ICUs), operating theaters, and labor rooms. Male nursing officers working in general wards and casualty units, however, will wear deep navy-blue trousers alongside the prescribed shirt colour.
The decision to change the dress code was taken in-principle after careful consideration of the proposal of Odisha Nursing Employees' Association
Health Department
Additional dress code provisions have been specified for female nursing staff in general wards and casualty units. Female nursing officers, senior nursing officers, and assistant nursing superintendents can choose between sarees or salwar-kameez for these settings, while DNS and NS cadres are required to wear sarees for these duties. The new dress code also includes a full-sleeve apron for ANS, DNS, and NS staff in general wards.
As part of the updated uniform regulations, all nursing staff members, regardless of rank, will wear uniforms inscribed with their names and designations to enhance professional identification.
The decision to update the dress code followed careful consideration of a proposal by the Odisha Nursing Employees' Association. This move aims to align nursing attire more closely with the standards of other medical and healthcare institutions, contributing to a cohesive professional image for healthcare workers across Odisha.
This is not the first time the new government, led by the BJP since its election in June, has implemented uniform changes across public sectors. Recently, the state administration painted government buildings in shades of orange and red. The state also updated uniforms for students in grades 9 and 10 in government and aided schools, shifting to a palette of light brown, chocolate, and clay-baked yellow colors.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Yash Kamble/MSM)
