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Health Health

Nurse Ali Tasmin Photo: WHO

unsupported by health system.” While some of these nurses have resigned to work at
However, the nursing shortage is not confined to our region. Lautoka and Ba hospitals, which are operated by Australian
A report released this month by the World Health Profes- health care company Aspen Medical, many more of them have
sionals Alliance and the World Health Organisation has re- gone to work overseas under various labour mobility schemes,
vealed the extent of physical and psychological damage done or have been recruited into the health services of Fiji’s neigh-
to healthcare professionals during the pandemic. bours. Dr Vudiniabola says some have even gone to work for
The report, What the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed: the the national airline.
findings of five global health workforce professions, says “The shortage of nurses is really complex and has many fac-
healthcare workers feared for their personal safety during tors and it differs from country to country, especially in the
the pandemic because of a lack of protective equipment, and Pacific,” she says. These factors include better opportunities
the absence of any systematic support and security left many for professional development, poor working conditions in the
feeling undervalued. islands, and pay.
Howard Catton, who is Chief Executive Officer of the Inter- “We had a policy that was put up by the government that
national Council of Nurses (ICN) and co-authored the report, nurses are not to work overtime because they will not be
noted: “Around the world, prior underinvestment in health paid… When it’s just a blanket policy like that, it affects the
systems meant that they failed the health professionals and nurses who without a choice, are continuously working. And
multidisciplinary teams that are the life blood, the very es- the nurses affected include those who live and work in rural
sence, of our health care services.” and remote nursing stations,” Dr Vudiniabola says.
He continued: “We need governments to honour the con- She adds that risk allowances which were paid to nurses
tribution of nurses and others during the pandemic, elevate working in mental health and other higher-risk settings, were
them to positions where they can more directly influence also eliminated: “So, you’ve got a population of nurses who
health care policies, and make sure that they never again are quite vulnerable in their workplace.”
have to face a deadly pandemic without the care, support and She says trends have also changed, with more mature
protection that they deserve.” nurses—those aged 50-55 —resigning to work elsewhere, and
not just earlier career nurses as was previously the case.
International recruitment “When you lose a nurse, you also lose the skill, the matu-
Fiji’s Minister for Health, Dr Atonio Lalabalavu, recently told rity, leadership and care, not only for patients but also for
parliament that 807 nurses resigned from the ministry just the younger nurses that need to be nurtured in the ward,” Dr
last year. Vudiniabola adds.
The SPC says this number represents “one-fifth of the entire The SPC notes that the WHO Global Code of Practice on the
Fijian nursing pool lost to one nation and there are now only International Recruitment of Health Personnel promotes ethi-
3000 nurses left in Fiji.” cal migration of the health workforce and discourages active

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