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Nursing
shortage reaches crisis point
|
by
Joanne Bladd
A new ruling by the Department of
Health and Medical Services (DoHMS) is set to push
Dubai’s nursing shortage to crisis point, nursing
chiefs have warned.
Under new rules, all registered nurses must hold a
Bachelor of Science (BSc). Nurses must be registered
to perform
complex tasks and work in environments such as
operating theatres and intensive care units. The new
criteria mean many existing nurses, who only hold
nursing diplomas, will be relegated to the role of
nursing assistant, despite their specialist
experience.
The new policy, set to come into effect on October
1, will make it impossible to adequately staff
wards, hospitals have said. “Implementing the policy
will mean an acute shortage of qualified nurses,”
said Sister Molly Kurian, acting head of nursing at
Belhoul Speciality Hospital. “39 of our staff nurses
will be disqualified under the new rules. My
experienced ICU nurses and many staff nurses don’t
have BSc qualifications.”
Anu Chacko, nursing
superintendent at Al Rafa Hospital, said: “It will
be difficult to maintain quality nursing care.
“We’ll have difficulty staffing theatres because
most of our experienced staff are diploma nurses,
licensed as assistant nurses under the new rules,
and so not permitted to work inside the operation
theatre.”
The new policy is as a blow for private hospitals,
many of which are already understaffed. Recent
reports have shown several UAE hospitals are lacking
a quarter of their workforce, as nurses relocate
abroad in search of improved pay and working
conditions.Sister Molly is unsurprised by the number
of resignations, blaming poor salaries and a
demanding workload.
“The majority of nurses only get one day off a week,
rather than two. They are exhausted,” she said.
“Rent is increasing and nursing salaries aren’t, so
the nurses leave for countries that will pay them
better, like the UK or Canada.”
“Nurses are the face of the health system and if
they are incapable of working and are exhausted,
they are not going to give good care to the
patient.”
But officials have dismissed concerns over patient
care, pointing to good nurse-to-patient ratios in
critical care units.
Asman Mohammed, acting
district director of nursing in Dubai, said: “We are
losing a lot of nurses. But no matter how severe the
shortage, all the patients get the care they need
and no one has complained.”
A&E departments, operating theatres and maternity
wards are all well staffed, she added, with ICU
units implementing 1:1 care.
Despite pleas from nursing chiefs, the Department
has issued official notification of the new policy,
warning that hospitals will face spot-checks to
ensure they are implementing new rules. In a letter
to hospitals, Mohsin Saad Basaalah, director of
licensing and specifications, said: “The DoHMS has
decided to give six months for the implementation of
the scheme. Thereafter, DoHMS authorities will visit
your facilities to check you have complied with the
requirements.
Hospitals are now hoping the Department will
consider upgrading existing staff nurses without BSc
qualifications, on the strength of their nursing
experience.
“We have asked the DoHMS to consider experience in
place of a degree,” Sister Molly said. “We have
forwarded a list of nursing assistants and the DoH
is deciding at the moment whether they can be
upgraded to staff nurses.”
Nursing chiefs have also urged Department officials
to consider reintroducing a written exam for nurses.
Seniority would then be allocated on the basis of
the results.
“A written exam, like in the UK, would be the best
answer,” said Sister Molly. “It would give good
nurses the chance to qualify on the basis of their
skills.”Original
source at
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