📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Sumita Roy Dutta
Health
HP High Court flags discrimination in study leave for nurses vs doctors
✍️ Medical Dialogues
🗓 27 Oct 2026, 09:42 PM
👁 14
The Himachal Pradesh High Court observed that nurses are denied study leave for postgraduate courses while doctors receive it, calling the practice discriminatory.
The Himachal Pradesh High Court has taken note of a disparity in granting study leave to health‑care staff. According to the court, doctors employed by state hospitals are routinely approved for postgraduate study leave, whereas nurses seeking similar leave for advanced courses are routinely refused.
The bench described the differential treatment as discriminatory and contrary to the principles of equal opportunity enshrined in labour law. It highlighted that nurses constitute a vital part of the health system and should be afforded the same professional development rights as their medical counterparts.
While the court did not disclose any immediate remedial order, it urged the state health department to review its leave policy and ensure that eligibility criteria are applied uniformly across all categories of staff. The observation comes amid growing concerns about staffing shortages and the need to up‑skill nursing personnel in the state.
The bench described the differential treatment as discriminatory and contrary to the principles of equal opportunity enshrined in labour law. It highlighted that nurses constitute a vital part of the health system and should be afforded the same professional development rights as their medical counterparts.
While the court did not disclose any immediate remedial order, it urged the state health department to review its leave policy and ensure that eligibility criteria are applied uniformly across all categories of staff. The observation comes amid growing concerns about staffing shortages and the need to up‑skill nursing personnel in the state.