Overburdened: PIMS maternity department short of staff
Nurses forced to work extra hours
Unavailability of nurses becomes the reason of nurses being forced to work extra hours. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Maternal and Child Health Care Centre (MCH) has only three nurses available, leaving them overburdened.
One MCH nurse, requesting anonymity, told The Express Tribune that three nurses including her were admitted in a scientific nursing training programme. “Under the rules, we should be relieved from duty for a one-year study period, but this has not been done yet,” she explained. She said that although the PIMS executive director has issued no objection certificates to them — which officially ease their duty — but the centre has been refusing to do so.
The nurses said they have been taking classes for the last week starting at 8am, and later come to the centre and work till 6pm. “It is simply not possible to perform well at either task with this schedule,” they added.
They have been trying to make the officials change their decision, but have not received a positive response so far.
MCH Director Dr Zahid Larik termed the issue ‘quite simple’, responding that, “If we relieve all of them at once, we will have to shut down the centre.”
The nurses, on the other hand, are of the view that they can be temporarily replaced by staffers from other departments, but those staffers are usually unwilling to do so and avoid such directives through arbitration and other means. “The problem is mostly due to lack of coordination and limited duty rotation. Nurses are required to change their duty centre periodically, but it does not happen very often,” they added.
“Senior nursing staff also share the blame, as they are not willing to take up their share of work or go on rotation as they think they are at a superior position,” one of the nurses said.
Dr Larik said, “Periodic change of duty centres is the job and responsibility of the nursing superintendent. I only have to sign off on rotation plans.”
Another official said on condition of anonymity that “according to international standards there should be at least one nurse for every 10 patients, but at PIMS, we have a nurse-to-patient ratio of 1:35, which is a huge problem.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 29th, 2015.
The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Maternal and Child Health Care Centre (MCH) has only three nurses available, leaving them overburdened.
One MCH nurse, requesting anonymity, told The Express Tribune that three nurses including her were admitted in a scientific nursing training programme. “Under the rules, we should be relieved from duty for a one-year study period, but this has not been done yet,” she explained. She said that although the PIMS executive director has issued no objection certificates to them — which officially ease their duty — but the centre has been refusing to do so.
The nurses said they have been taking classes for the last week starting at 8am, and later come to the centre and work till 6pm. “It is simply not possible to perform well at either task with this schedule,” they added.
They have been trying to make the officials change their decision, but have not received a positive response so far.
MCH Director Dr Zahid Larik termed the issue ‘quite simple’, responding that, “If we relieve all of them at once, we will have to shut down the centre.”
The nurses, on the other hand, are of the view that they can be temporarily replaced by staffers from other departments, but those staffers are usually unwilling to do so and avoid such directives through arbitration and other means. “The problem is mostly due to lack of coordination and limited duty rotation. Nurses are required to change their duty centre periodically, but it does not happen very often,” they added.
“Senior nursing staff also share the blame, as they are not willing to take up their share of work or go on rotation as they think they are at a superior position,” one of the nurses said.
Dr Larik said, “Periodic change of duty centres is the job and responsibility of the nursing superintendent. I only have to sign off on rotation plans.”
Another official said on condition of anonymity that “according to international standards there should be at least one nurse for every 10 patients, but at PIMS, we have a nurse-to-patient ratio of 1:35, which is a huge problem.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 29th, 2015.