Nurses jittery over covid19 cases

President of the TT Registered Nurses Association Idi Stuart has said if the concerns of nurses dealing with covid19 patients are not addressed by Friday, nurses will be advised to take action to safeguard their own lives.

He told Newsday, the association is calling for: all nurses who were in direct contact with suspected or confirmed covid19 patients without wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) to be tested; all nurses who dealt with suspected or confirmed covid19 patients to be quarantined; and hazard insurance and death benefit for nurses who contract, and die from, covid19 in the course of their work. Stuart pointed out that there is currently no hazard benefit for healthcare workers who deal with potentially fatal infectious or contagious diseases.

He said despite assurances of adequate PPE, nurses were told they did not need PPE to deal with suspected cases.

Stuart explained that nurses believed the RHAs were at a preparation stage, but they have already been accepting and housing patients for an extended period – including one at the Sangre Grande regional hospital.

He reported the association met with officials of the North West Regional Health Authority two weeks ago and the Eastern Regional Health Authority (ERHA) on Monday, and ERHA CEO Ronald Tsoi-a-Fatt identified Wards 5 and 6 to be turned into wards to treat covid19 patients.

“Nurses are concerned,” Stuart said

He stressed that nurses who deal with confirmed cases cannot be expected to return to their families “like nothing happened.”

He said the association asked for a meeting with the Health Minister, but the minister refused to meet with them and referred them to the national adviser on nursing services.

“The nurses don’t feel appreciated. It is only a lot of lip service being given.”

He said by Friday, if there is no positive response to the requests for testing, quarantine and death benefit, nurses would be advised to value their lives “if the employer does not value (them).”

In an interview with Newsday a nurse at the Sangre Grande hospital said the conversion of Ward 5 into a covid19 ward has left staff uneasy, as there was no prior discussion to the decision being made.

The nurse said an elderly man is currently on the ward with covid19 symptoms.

"We don't understand why the suggestion wasn't made to transfer him to Caura."

She said the man is visually impaired, and claimed most nurses have refused to attend to him, as well as doctors.

"The volunteers are the ones giving him care.

"They couldn't really force the nurses to go in that unsafe scenario. They were lucky that some nurses were helpful to assist."

She said all the patients on Ward 5 – a women’s ward, have been moved to Ward 2 – a male surgical ward.

"We asking questions and they not answering anything.”

Tsoi-a-Fatt told Newsday the nurse was "out of order" to contact the media about something like this.

“Be careful how you try to bring down the hospital into disrepute.”

He said there was no covid19-positive patient at the Sangre Grande hospital.

When nurses came into the profession, he said it was to give care to the sick.

"Covid19 patients are not lepers. They have to be given care."

He denied there was any breakdown in lines of communication, and said for anything done in the hospital there is a consultative process.

Tsoi-a-Fatt said he understood the discomfort and anxiety expressed over what is happening.

“But we have to do what we have to do for our people.”

He said the ERHA was following both national and international guidelines in its covid19 response. It is planning for possible covid19 cases and this may include the reconfiguration of a ward. He pointed out that Ward 5 and 6 have rooms where patients can be isolated.

When contacted on Tuesday Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said he was in a meeting and Newsday should forward concerns to his ministry's corporate communications department.

Last week at a presser Deyalsingh said $157 million had been allocated to RHAs to prevent covid19 local spread. He has also announced that additional beds for covid19 patients were being provided at the Arima Hospital, Augustus Long Hospital and the Point Fortin Hospital was being reprogrammed for this purpose.