Nurses return to their stations

Members of the public can expect an improvement in the services offered at public health facilities, after nurses returned to their stations on Friday afternoon.

Since Wednesday, scores of nurses islandwide called in sick forcing the Health Ministry to implement several measures to ease the strain on health facilities.

Labour Minister Pearnel Charles and representatives of the Nurses' Association of Jamaica (NAJ) were on Friday afternoon successful in hammering out a back to work agreement.

Protest ended

According to Mr. Charles, the nurses will immediately discontinue their protest paving the way for normality to be restored to the health sector.

Minister Charles says he welcomes this decision by the NAJ as being in the nation’s best interest, given the vital role the nurses play in nation-building.

NAJ President Edith Allwood-Anderson confirmed that the nurses had agreed to suspend, until further notice, what they are calling their public education campaign.

The concession came none too soon as earlier Friday Health Minister Ruddy Spencer said his Ministry was forced to implement several measures to deal with the high levels of nurse absenteeism of nurses at public health facilities.

Absenteeism levels

Minister Spencer provided statistics which reflected absenteeism levels as high as 83% in Mandeville and Port Maria on Wednesday during Day One of the industrial action.

Other hospitals islandwide reflected absenteeism levels of 40%, 55% and 70% respectively for various shifts.

The Health Minister says normal activities at some facilities were compromised, forcing the activation of standard emergency controls.

These included accepting only emergency cases; the discharge of critical patients and the cancellation of elective surgeries. 

Mediation

Mr. Spencer urged the nurses to solve the problem through mediation.

“Good sense ought to prevail and I should go on to tell you, the matter will only be addressed, the extent to which people are available for discussions. I am asking the President of the Nurses Association and the nurses to be receptive to whatever cause may be made by the labour ministry. When all of this is finished, the nurses, the Ministry of Health must sit down at the table,” Minister Spencer said.  

Both parties are expected to continue discussions on the outstanding contentious issues at a scheduled meeting Saturday at the Labour Ministry.