#NURSINGOPINION: WHAT NURSES ARE PASSING THROUGH IN SOME GENERAL HOSPITALS.

WHAT NURSES ARE PASSING THROUGH IN SOME GENERAL HOSPITALS.

By Umaru Isah Kumo.

A Nigerian Nurse Cry...
As a Nurse who works in a General
Hospital, it is truely frustrating to
realise that our leaders do not
acceed to the International Nursing
Standards (W.H.O standard is 3
patient per 1 nurse) as is done
around the world. In my place of
work we have 1 - 22 for every shift
in some wards, this means a single
nurse to a total of 22 patients. I
know this wouldn't be much of a
shock to most nurses as some
places are a whole lot worse than
mine in terms of nurses-patient
ratios.

You might wonder to yourself "this
isn't possible" while reading this
but let me break it down for you:
we have three (3) Doctors & a total
of sixty (60) Nurses working in our
General Hospital (Remember not all
work the same shifts, or in the
saame wards or the same days...).
Sometimes in a Ward the Nurse
who is supposed to be on duty falls
ill, most likely due to the heavy
work load and pressure but he/she
doesnt have anyone to cover the
shift for them. When this happens
two things have to happen:
1. Either the nurse goes home to
rest and recover or
2. The nurse keeps on working
while ill

If the nurse decides to stay home
or leave this means in a Ward
where a patient needs some
Nursing interventions there would
be no Nurse in the ward to attend
to them and because of the chronic
short staffing a Nurse can leave the
ward without handing over the
ward to the nurses working in the
next shift.

If the nurse decides to keep on
working while ill, well i'd better
leave it to your imagination.
For those who are wondering, I
work in the Accident & Emergency
Unit of the General Hospital. I have
no substaff to hand over to...

Why?
Today is the last day of my night
shift...
My substaff refused to resume
work...
There is a patient in the ward that
had Haemetemesis,
How do I in good concience leave
when my shift ends when I know i
have no one who would take over
from me?
Now I need to notify the Dr who's
on call, to let him know that there
are patients who would need his
attention... the only problem, my
phone went missing in the A & E... I
guess the "original owner" needed
it more than I did #SMH. Not to
mention the fact that I dont know
where exactly the Doctor is at the
moment.

I just feel like crying...
My question to my fellow
professional colleagues what are
your reactions about General
Hospitals or Cottage Hospitals in
the country and the managements
indifference to our plight?