(12 May is observed as International Nurse's Day to honour and celebrate the contribution of nurses in ensuring our wellbeing in trying times. FIT is republishing this story in light of it.)
In the ongoing war against the COVID-19 pandemic, the nursing staff of our country are wearing masks on their faces, wearing gloves in their hands, and standing on the frontline with their chests tight.
Today, when lakhs of people are getting infected every day in the third wave of COVID, the need of the hour is a healthy and dedicated nursing staff.
Unfortunately, it is not so, because the number of infected nursing staff is also not less.
To know the reason behind this, FIT tried to talk openly with the nursing staff and administration of some hospitals.
At the same time, others also gave a good deal of shocking information about the condition with a request of anonymity.
The new COVID-19 guidelines have added to the worries of the nursing staff.
“In the first, second and now third wave of COVID, the nursing staff have been working, but this time we are forced to fight many other problems due to the new COVID-19 guidelines,” A nursing officer at Safdarjung Hospital, who has been working in the COVID ward for the last 2 years, told us.
Due to this, not only do they have to remain quarantined in their respective homes, but the possibility of spreading the infection to their families increases. This has become a cause of great concern for all of us.
At the time of the old COVID-19 guidelines, while on duty, the hospital administration was responsible for the upkeep and care of health workers in case of COVID positive.
Nursing staff doing COVID duty every day are also taking home the risk of infection somewhere.
On 13 January 2022, AIIMS, Delhi, while making changes in the COVID Guidelines, was asked to give 7 days special medical leave to the nursing staff.
With a request for anonymity, the nursing officer of LNJP Hospital told FIT, “All of us nursing staff are serving people in the COVID ward day and night. If we become COVID positive during this period, the hospital administration will deduct the quarantine period from the rest of our leaves."
On the other hand, Adarsh Kumar (name changed) of Safdarjung Hospital says, “All of us nursing staff are risking our lives for the country, doing COVID duty every day and losing our own leave on getting COVID positive, which we can use for our or our family's needs".
Our nurses are struggling to get leaves and salaries.
Forced to save salary and leave, what are COVID positive nursing staff doing?
On this, the Nursing Officer of LNJP Hospital said, "Despite being COVID positive, they are coming to the hospital. Due to which the risk of spreading the infection to others is increasing. At the same time those nursing staff are also facing negative reactions from others."
How will the country cope with the increasing shortage of nursing staff amid the third wave of COVID-19?
This question was asked by FIT to the administration of some hospitals and some nursing staff. The answer was received only from the nursing staff.
“I am working here as contract nursing staff for five years. It has been 2 years for me and many like me working day and night in the COVID ward. Instead of giving a permanent job, they are threatening to fire us."
Talking about the shortage of nursing staff in hospitals, the administrative officers of some hospitals are pressurizing the existing staff to come to work even in illness.
On the other hand, there are talking of removing the contract nursing staff as soon as their tenure is completed, said the Nursing Officer of LNJP Hospital.
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