ANM and GNM are the two nursing qualifications families in West Bengal hear about most when arranging a nurse at home. Our centre provides ANM and GNM nurses for home care in Sonarpur and south Kolkata, and we will tell you plainly which one your patient needs.
ANM and GNM: the difference
ANM (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife) is a diploma focused on basic nursing, community health and mother-and-child care. An ANM nurse is well suited to regular home care: vital signs, medicines and injections as prescribed, dressings, and care of mothers and newborns.
GNM (General Nursing and Midwifery) is a longer diploma with broader clinical training. A GNM nurse is usually the better choice for more complex care at home: drips, catheters, feeding tubes, oxygen, and patients recently discharged from intensive care.
What our nurses do at home
- Vital signs and blood sugar monitoring
- Medicines and injections as prescribed by the patient's doctor
- Wound and bedsore dressing
- IV drip, catheter and Ryle's tube care (usually GNM)
- Nebulisation and monitoring of home oxygen
- Post-delivery care for mother and baby (often ANM)
For an overview of nursing at home, see home nursing service. For a newborn and mother, see newborn baby care.
How to arrange an ANM or GNM nurse
- Call or WhatsApp +91 90513 20961. Tell us the patient's condition and the treatments the doctor has prescribed. The phone is answered around the clock by the people who will actually arrange the caregiver.
- We suggest who to send. If what you describe needs a nurse rather than an aya, or an attendant rather than either, we will say so.
- Shift and rate are agreed first. Shifts of 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 or 24 hours are available, and you know the cost before anyone is sent.
- The caregiver comes to you, often the same day, and we check back to make sure the match is working.
Common questions
Which is better, ANM or GNM?
Neither is simply better. GNM training is broader and suits more complex care; ANM suits regular nursing and mother-and-baby care. Describe the patient and we will recommend one.
Can I see the nurse's qualification?
Ask when you call. It is a reasonable request for any family to make before a nurse starts.
Do ANM and GNM nurses work nights?
Yes. For round-the-clock nursing see 24-hour nurse service.
Last reviewed 27 September 2026