Chandigarh, Sept. 3 -- The PGI Nurses Welfare Association (PNWA) has sought the intervention of Union health minister over an alleged severe shortage of nursing staff and administrative mismanagement at the newly inaugurated Advanced Maternal and Child Care Centre (AMCC) at PGIMER, Chandigarh. In a representation, the association said the facility had been operationalised without filling or deploying the sanctioned nursing posts, putting additional pressure on existing staff. It claimed that a single nursing officer has been currently handling more than 10 newborns in nursery care areas, against the staff inspection unit (SIU) norm of one nurse for every two to three newborns. The association said the shortage had resulted in physical and mental exhaustion among nursing personnel and could compromise the safety of neonates as well as antenatal and postnatal patients. It also alleged that nursing staff were being blamed for clinical gaps arising from systemic manpower shortages. According to documents enclosed with the representation, the Union health ministry had sanctioned 243 nursing officer posts, 13 senior nursing officer posts and one deputy nursing superintendent post for the AMCC. However, the association claimed that none of these posts had been filled. It also pointed out that no assistant nursing superintendent (ANS) posts had been sanctioned for ground-level supervision. The PNWA further highlighted existing vacancies across PGIMER, including 50 nursing officer and 85 senior nursing officer posts. The association has sought an independent inquiry into the centre's relocation and administrative oversight, immediate deployment of sanctioned nursing staff to maintain prescribed patient-nurse ratios, and directions to the hospital administration against allegedly targeting nursing personnel. Copies of the representation have also been sent to the PM's Office, Punjab and Haryana high court and PGIMER authorities....