The lack of staff in hospitals and especially in the New ENT hospital, the official treatment centre of Covid 19, has been strongly felt lately. The problem has persisted since the second wave, according to Nursing Association’s President, Ram Nowzadik, despite a recruitment of 90 nurses.
First Liners falter
“We are the first liners of the front liners. If the situation was manageable during the first wave in 2020, the second wave has left the staff exhausted. We need new nurses and the aim is to persuade the Ministry of Health to recruit 250 nurses a year to refresh this population, which has fewer and fewer members every year,” he says. Indeed, there is retirement, where there are between 150 and 200 departures per year, the change of career or the end of this career or deaths.
He does not hide the fact that at the beginning of the pandemic, there were 3958 nurses of all grades spread over the island. The number shortened overtime, but also members have been forced to work overtime, on their days off, double shifts for seven days in a row, day and night, or two weeks of normal and overtime with two days off each week, with a ban on leaving the premises under any condition. This is followed by a PCR test and sending to quarantine, then self isolation. “This can last between 14 and 21 days, so replacing members becomes a pressure,” he says.
Alignment of Risk and Disturbance Allowance
It should be recalled that they are present almost everywhere. In hospitals, clinics, treatment centres, quarantine centres, vaccination centres, mass screening campaigns, at the airport, isolation areas for severe cases of Covid and with the introduction of the Domiciliary Monitoring Unit, a nurse will be dispatched to the 32 doctors newly recruited this Friday 3rd September. “They are tired, under pressure, without life and social balance, some do not see their families and spouses and kids for weeks. The salary is not everything. This Friday, I met with the Minister Dr. Kailesh Jagutpal for a request for alignment by the PRB for Risk Allowance and Disturbance Allowance for all nurses, depending on their grades and service. At the moment, only a few are getting it, but with the situation since 2020 with Covid, almost all nurses are at the same level, their Risk and Disturbance allowance should be as well,” he said. This recommendation is under consideration by the ministry concerned.
90 recruited, 40 more to come
The Ministry of Health is reportedly sensitive to this situation. To return to the lack of staff decried since the second wave, in order to better manage the situation, the ministry has called on 50 retired nurses, on a day-to-day contract. And as a back-up, 40 young people, who have completed an induction course at the Lycée Polytechnique Mauritius, have been brought into the service. The ministry, during this Friday’s meeting with the nursing association, affirmed that “other young people from the Lycée Polytechnique Mauritius will come and join the troop of nurses. This reassures us; however, this will not be enough, according to our calculations, a minimum of 250 recruits will be needed each year to fill the gaps but specially to ensure in case of a new wave of the pandemic. Then, there is also the arrival of new hospitals and units,” says Ram Nowzadik. Indeed, there will be a series of new projects in the Health sector, to name the biggest ones, the New Flacq Hospital that will provide 520 beds against 300 at the existing one, the New Moka Hospital in Côte D’Or and new wings at the Rose Belle Hospital. Staff will be needed for the proper functioning.
ENT in disarray calling for reorganisation
The press has reported that at ENT Hospital, the lack of staff is causing neglect of patients in quarantine. To explain this and his proposal to Minister Dr Kailesh Jagutpal, “there are currently four nurses per ward and an irregular number of orderlies. There are currently 90 patients on the two wards. Based on the nursing association’s calculation of the number of nurses per number of beds and hours of service, we have agreed on the number of 6 nurses of various grades per ward and 4 orderlies on a 7-day rotation. This way, there will be no mess or pressure for their replacements when they go to quarantine or isolation,” Ram Nowzadik said. According to him, the officers and the minister have been very attentive to these proposals for the better management of patients and nurses in this period of Covid and development.
