Overworked and underpaid is how one Auxiliary Nurse has described conditions under which they are working within the country’s health system.
And one affected Auxiliary nurse reached out to ANN to make the public aware of some of their concerns.
According to the individual, who has opted to remain anonymous, they are attached to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) and although classified as a nurse, but do not qualify to collect all the benefits of a Registered Nurse.
“We are overworked and underpaid as most of the workers in St Vincent and the Grenadines,” they told ANN.
“But what we are stressing over is that we are health care workers, as such nurses, and don’t get the benefits as other classes of nurses,” they continued.
For example, during the 2023 Independence speech Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves announced that Nurses, Nursing Assistants and Nursing Aids were to all receive a 6-month non – taxable supplementary income starting in January 2024.
But Auxiliary nurses did not receive anything.
However, they do not qualify for pension and the individual nurse said that they were told that it is because of their employment Grade.
They said that although their duties are like that of a Nursing Assistant, they are classified under the same Grade as a female attendant.
The duties of an attendant include mopping the ward, changing curtains and washing dishes and they get the same salary.
The concerned Auxiliary Nurse detailed to ANN some of their duties which include – the cleaning of overhead areas including lockers and sinks on the ward, cleaning of beds – which they stated all classes of nurses are trained to do but refuse to – run errands to different departments and sometimes for patients, grooming and feeding patients, and rinsing stool and blood from linen.
“I can name more, but would hold,” they contended.
The nurse alleged that they are treated like children and spoken to by supervisors in an unprofessional manner.
And now, the concerned health worker said that they are now being forced to work three 12-hour shifts, from 7 am to 7 pm.
They explained that they did three days working from 7 am to 3 pm and still clocked the required 36 hours per week.
“The 7 to 7 shift is harsh on us in the day. They have us as dogs, they treat us unwell, no respect.”
And while other classes of nurses are leaving the health system to go to other countries, the Auxiliary nurses remain here, yet they are treated the worst, they contended.
