Attorney Murthy on the Need for Nurses – New York Times
Posted Feb 14, 2003

On February 10, 2003, The New York Times carried an article on Indian nurses entitled 'Indian Nurses Sought to Staff U.S. Hospitals' by Saritha Rai.

The article reveals that, in India, thousands of nurses are studying for the nursing licensing exams, with dreams of better-paying jobs in the United States. Previously, many American recruiters were going to the Philippines, Ireland, and Canada to find nurses - but these sources are drying up.

An interview with Attorney Murthy concludes the article. Following is an excerpt from the article :

"...Sheela Murthy, an immigration lawyer who advises nurse recruiters and hospitals, said her firm normally dealt with a dozen immigration cases a month involving Indian nurses, but she said she had recently started receiving inquiries about bringing in nurses by the hundreds.

"Ms. Murthy, a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said the group was lobbying in Washington for eased immigration rules covering nurses. She cited the projections of the government's own Health Resources and Services Administration that vacant nursing positions, which now total more than 110,000, will exceed 700,000 by 2020.

"'The U.S. Congress is preoccupied with terrorist threats,' she said, 'but, to my mind, the nursing shortage is a colossal flaw in the American health care system, a life-and-death issue.'"