If we want better nursing, it’s time to match pay elsewhere

COMPARING the starting salaries of Irish nurses to their counterparts in other parts of the world (Irish Independent, February 8) one would have to wonder how we hold on to so many in our own country.

The salary offered in this country to our young nurse graduates is €29,056 on a 39-hour week. In other parts of the world they get paid a much better starting salary.

In parts of Australia the starting salary is equal to €39,295, in Canada it is €43,012, in London they get paid €29,828 and in California they can earn €55,000.

The working week can vary in some places from 36 to 38 hours. In all cases, Ireland is bottom of the pile.

It seems a shame that after paying to educate our nurses to a very high standard, which is highly valued right across the world, that we don’t value them to the same extent at home.

Those who choose to stay and work at home are run off their feet in a creaking-at-theseams and chaotic health service.

We have failed to entice emigrant nurses home in recent years in anything like sufficient numbers to make up the shortfall. Such a move would ensure a much better service to the unfortunate patients in our overcrowded hospitals across the land.

Perhaps the time has come to consider giving pay parity on nurses’ salaries with other countries in the more developed parts of the world. Tom Towey

Cloonacool, Co Sligo