Besides, 800 nursing supervisors will also be appointed soon, he said adding that steps have been taken to establish nine nursing institutes and three colleges in the country.

The minister said the present doctor-nurse ratio is 2:1.

He said the government is making efforts to update the existing nursing service.

He also called for bringing dynamism in nursing service to render quality care to ailing humanity.

The minister was speaking at a conference on 'Nurses Moving Forward', organised by the Directorate of Nursing Service (DNS) in collaboration with DFID- funded project Strengthening the Role of Nursing at the BIAM auditorium in the city.

The objective of the conference was to familiarise the nurses with various programmes undertaken by the government for their professional development.

DNS Director Mamataz Begum said there are approximately 19,000 registered nurses and 13,000 working nurses in the country.

A total of 1,135 students get admission in different nursing institutes each year and out of them 800 to 900 receive diploma, she added.

Mamataz Begum said there are 70 post-graduate and 855 graduate professional nurses presently working at different levels.

"We support reforms in health services by building leadership ability and developing organisational skills," said the SRN Technical Advisor Angei Roques.

Around 500 staff and student nurses took part in the conference.