BC Nurses Demand Solution to Staff ShortagesBC nurses are leaving their jobs in unprecedented numbers. The CBC reported on August 20 that about two-thirds of the emergency room nurses at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops in the BC Interior had quit due to stress and burnout in recent months. Nurses throughout the province report working short-staffed on a daily basis. Throughout the province registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, care aides and others are leaving their jobs because the strain on their physical and mental health and the consequences for their families are more than they can cope with.
Doctors and nurses are leaving their professions as
a result, many reporting that they are exhausted and completely
demoralized by the government's declaration that instead of measures to
support them they are being asked to work longer and harder,
particularly with the government's program of increased surgeries. One
nurse commented that the Minister of Health should "walk a mile in our
shoes." An increase in surgical procedures, which health care workers
know is needed, without addressing the problems of lack of staff and
untenable working conditions, is putting health care workers and the
care of the public at even greater risk than is already the case. This is the situation that the people of BC are facing: certain areas, particularly the Interior, are experiencing an upsurge in COVID-19 cases at the same time as thousands of people have been evacuated and many more are under evacuation alerts due to wildfires. On August 21 the province reported over 4,000 properties under evacuation orders and over 18,000 on evacuation alerts. Besides the evacuation of private homes and businesses, residents of long-term care homes in five interior communities have been evacuated, most to other homes in the region but at least 100 flown to Vancouver. The health care system in BC is in crisis. The system was in a staffing crisis before the pandemic, the shortage of staff meaning that workers were required to work excessive amounts of overtime and often work short-handed. The increased demands on nurses and all other health care workers in the conditions of the pandemic have not led health authorities to take any measures to address the problem of staffing. In fact, recent decisions have made the overwork much worse, with the BC Nurses' Union reporting that some nurses are being mandated to work 24-hour shifts.
When responding to questions from CTV on whether it was unrealistic to pursue the surgical renewal program at this time Health Minister Adrian Dix responded in a cavalier fashion, that "This is a really difficult time for everyone and we're doing our best to support people by delivering the services, especially the surgical services that people in BC expect and deserve," ... "It is, of course, a challenge to meet the increasing demands of a society that is growing and that is aging, but I think we've done an exceptional job." Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, after acknowledging the fact that doctors, nurses and others have been under extreme pressure due to the pandemic and that many are quitting, said "I know from my personal experience in pandemics and crises we've seen that go on and on, it is not surprising to see people burnt out," ... "We all want this to be over. We all wanted this to be over last summer and we have to deal with the reality." Health care workers throughout the country have repeatedly pointed out that words of praise and thanks for all their hard work do not solve the problem of the staffing crisis. If the government and health officials were serious about "dealing with the reality" they would not only listen to health care workers but they would follow their lead in terms of what is needed to address the problem of recruitment and retention of staff, ensuring working conditions that respect the dignity and rights of the workers and the patients in their care and vastly expanding training programs for new workers to enter the field. Health care workers are speaking out and presenting solutions and demanding they be implemented. Treating workers as disposable, as "things" that can be pushed beyond the limits, and not as the human factor that is essential to address the problems of the health care system, is not a solution. (With files from CBC and CTV. Photos: NNU, SEIU)
This article was published in Article Link:   Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca |
The
failure of the government and the Health Authorities to address the
staffing crisis is not just a matter of workers being stressed,
overworked and burned out, as if that was not criminal enough. The
greatest concern of the workers is that without enough staff, patient
care is jeopardized. In speaking to CTV on August 13 a spokesperson for
the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions reported that "nurses and
health-care staff are overworked, underpaid, burnt out, and suffering
moral distress because there are not enough staff to provide the care
patients deserve." 
The
Ministry of Health, despite objections from health care workers,
continues to insist that surgeries be increased, what they call a
surgical renewal program, in spite of the strain on surgical teams
whose work is much more strenuous and difficult because of the need for
additional PPE and enhanced sanitation requirements to protect against
COVID-19.