Nurses end sick-out
FOLLOWING wednesday’s shock treatment by some 300 public sector nurses who stayed off the job, throwing operations at several hospitals into disarray, health authorities said most resumed duties yesterday.
On Wednesday morning, which marked the end of the first three days of a national seven-day lockdown, nurses at several hospitals including Cornwall Regional in St James, Mandeville Regional in Manchester, University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) in St Andrew, and St Ann’s Bay were absent from duty reportedly upset over a number of issues, including a comment made by Prime Minister Andrew Holness during a press briefing last Thursday.
The nurses were said to be miffed over their meagre salaries and poor working conditions, the Nurses’ Association of Jamaica (NAJ) said. A total 1,335 nurses had been expected to turn up for work on Wednesday, but according to Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton, 375 called in sick or were absent.
Following intense discussions between the group representing the nurses and health officials, nurses were yesterday expected to be back at work paving the way for negotiations to continue.
A status of nursing coverage report for the 2:00 pm to 10:00 pm shift shared with the Jamaica Observer last evening showed that in the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA), which comprises Falmouth, Noel Holmes, Cornwall Regional, and Savanna-la-mar hospitals, 132 of the 178 nurses expected for duty showed up. Cornwall Regional Hospital, which was particularly hard hit on Wednesday, saw 61 of 78 nurses reporting for duty.
In the North East Regional Health Authority (NERHA), which comprises Annotto Bay, St Ann’s Bay, Port Antonio, and Port Maria hospitals 53 of the expected 65 nurses showed.
In the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) belt, which includes Bustamante Children Hospital, Kington Public, Victoria Jubilee, Bellevue, UHWI, National Chest, Hope Institute, Sir John Golding Rehab Centre, Spanish Town, Linstead, and Princess Margaret hospitals, 446 of the expected 561 nurses were on hand.
At the UHWI, of the expected 183 nurses, 109 showed up, while at Princess Margaret Hospital in St Thomas 19 of the 26 expected were at work.
On Wednesday, NAJ President Patsy EdwardsHenry had told the Observer that a seeming “breakdown in communication” between the union and its membership could have helped fuel the “sick-out”.
“There are a lot of disgruntled nurses out there; a lot of them are members of the association, many of them are not an integral part so a lot of them do not know the plans and what we have planned and there seems to be a breakdown in communication with the association and membership, but the NAJ continues to lobby for the welfare of its members,” Edwards-henry said.
She said based on reports received yesterday regarding the turnout of the nurses, some remained absent because of the rains which began lashing the island on Wednesday night, while others were out because they were “genuinely sick”.