Women participate at the yoga camp at JRD Tata Sports Complex. Picture by Bhola Prasad.

Jamshedpur, Sept. 14: There might soon be some changes at Tata Main Hospital (TMH) ? of the sartorial kind.

The nursing staff of TMH is gearing up for a switchover in uniform. The usual white frock could be replaced with trousers and shirts or salwar-kameezes.

Taking a cue from hospitals in metropolitan cities ? where the nursing staff has changed its uniform ? the TMH management has informed the nursing superintendent of the hospital that they can also opt for a similar change.

?It is very convenient for nurses to work in trousers or for that matter in salwar-kameezs. This trend is fast emerging in several hospitals in the metros. One rarely finds nurses in their traditional uniform in hospitals at Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai,? said Manoj Prasad, general manager of the TMH.

?We have told our nursing staff that they can attend to patients in shirts and trousers or salwar-kameezes. Any kind of uniform that makes them feel comfortable suits is convenience would be acceptable to us,? said Prasad. The TMH general manager added that they were waiting for a reply from the nursing superintendent.

?It is possible that we would be handing over new uniforms to the nurses during the annual ceremony three months from now,? he said.

TMH has 359 nurses, including 346 permanent ones and 13 on contract basis.

The nurses have welcomed the hospital management?s move. ?We have circulated the suggestion made by the management to the nurses. The younger generation of nurses is quite keen on opting for shirts and trousers. Some want to go for salwar-kameez. We have to make a choice between these two,? said the deputy nursing superintendent. She added that the nurses who have been taken in on contract have already started wearing white shirts and trousers and a cap. ?Trousers and shirts are comfortable. One can move about more freely in this attire,? said Nirmala Toppo, a nurse.

The deputy nursing superintendent said the nursing superintendent was on leave and that the matter would be discussed with her when she resumed work.

?We will work on the suggestion made by the hospital management once the nursing superintendent is back,? she said, adding they would have to decide on categorising the uniforms in different colours.

?No matter what the uniform, senior and junior nurses would have to wear different colours,? the deputy nursing superintendent said.