'Sick out' nurses turn the screw

Tue, May 1st 2018, 09:00 AM

MORE than 200 registered and trained clinical nurses staged a “sick out” yesterday amid mounting tensions between Bahamas Nurses Union and the Public Hospitals Authority over long-standing issues.

One point of contention is a 12-hour shift foreign nurses, who are not a part of the union, have been asked to work.

According to a breakdown from the Ministry of Health obtained by The Tribune, 213 nurses – 100 from Princess Margaret Hospital, Sandilands and Rand Memorial Hospital – and 113 from clinics in New Providence and those in the Family Islands – phoned in to report illnesses preventing them from coming to work.

As a result, there were several instances where procedures scheduled months in advance had to be either cancelled or postponed and patient care was interrupted, Health Minister Dr Duane Sands said. Patients were also prematurely discharged and others who travelled to the capital for procedures had to be turned away.

It is unclear how long the nurses will continue this action.

Click here to read more at The Tribune

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