Caroni East MP makes call for nurses

MP FOR Caroni East Dr Rishad Seecheran said nurses in TT continue to be overworked.

He made the comment during UNC's weekly Sunday media briefing.

"Currently nurses salaries are among the lowest in the public sector and the disrespect continues as many nurses are only given short term contracts and thus they are unable to access loans to buy cars or perhaps a mortgage for a house," Dr Seecheran said.

"These short term contracts create great uncertainty and depress the morale of our very hard working nurses, who have exposed themselves to great risk during covid19 and there are over 3,400 of these nurses working under these conditions."

Seecheran, who is a dental surgeon, said an auditor general's special report was completed under the authority of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

"It makes for quite interesting reading to put it mildly. Firstly on the report, the auditor general said we currently have a ratio of one doctor, nurse and mid-wife per 1,000 persons in TT. The WHO's recommendation is four doctors, nurses and mid-wives per 1,000 persons in the population."

"The report also made mention of the physical and mental health of our health care workers and indicated that our doctors and nurses at the end of 2021 were burn out having been forced to work extra hours and having to give up their vacation leave. Also mentioned were unpaid overtime, job insecurity, poor meals, lack of transport, no child care support and very poor working conditions...nurses are just fed up with the working conditions in this country."

Nurses have been clamouring for better working conditions in recent years.

One month ago, the TT Registered Nurses Association held a protest at the North West Regional Health Authority in Port of Spain.

Seecheran said TT is unable to "provide a very high level of patient care."

He said in 2020, UDECOTT put in a request for proposals to establish a cardiac categorisation laboratory and supporting services at the San Fernando General Hospital. Seecheran asked why nothing has been done to develop such an important area in health care as it will help TT to manage heart conditions.