Wellness of medical staff paramount
THE headline of the article
“... significant prevalence of burnout among province’s medical staff” resonated with me. The psychosocial wellness of all workers particularly those at high risk have concerned me for months, even years, especially in the existential circumstances we live in.
The health and wellness of employees are critical strengths and resources of any organisation.
The private sector, NGOs and the state that care for the well-being of their employees, their families and the communities they live in are successful and thrive, and are productive.
A very recent study by University of California, Berkeley, in a review of 70 other previous Covid studies such as Sars and Mers reveals that 30% of people and employees suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); 15% from anxiety and 15% from depression, post a Covid outbreak.
This places additional stress and pressure on an already overburdened healthcare system, and therefore reduces hospital capacity to attend to the urgent need for physiological Covid-related illnesses and treatments. Medical staff suffer the additional stress and trauma of despair, desperate ill-health and death. Exacerbated by a manyfold crisis brought about by Covid 19: economic, health, environmental and social crises cause a further assault on the mental health of people in every sphere of life. This is what Mona Eltahawy (2019), the Egyptian academic calls the “Octopus” phenomena – with many tentacles, patriarchy at the centre.
In the 2008 financial crisis people could go to school and work, and spend their wages. During the worst of the pandemic people have been compelled to stay away from work, and from virtually most places they usually spend their wages and salaries, feel despair and death. People have been forced to stay away from places of worship, entertainment, sport, etc, although some deliberately flouted the protocols.
During and post a Covid outbreak or pandemic employees and their families’ major complaints are: isolation; stress; uncertainty; and working from home (WFH).
We are in for the long haul, given current evidence, and current spreader variants. We should use every resource offered. A WHO experts predicted that we will be in this at least until the end of 2022 in developing countries. “This virus is like the flu … it will never disappear.” The psychosocial wellness of medical staff is paramount.
PHILIP M BALIE |