Reality of critical patient care when nurses, midwives withdraw services

To our committed nurses and midwives, our Florence Nightingales who laid down their tools on June 2, a salute for hearing the pleas of the many, considering the effects of the strike on patients across the country’s hospitals.

The decision to call off the industrial action could not have come at a better time.  

It goes without saying that since the decision was taken on June 13 to go back to work, a great relief has been brought to the sick and feeble, who were hit most.  

It needs no telling and one cannot wish away the critical position nurses and midwives occupy in the care and administration system whether for inpatients or outpatients.   

Assisting doctors

Their work commences early and ends late when others have retired to rest in their beds. Their efforts to assist doctors in administering care, restoring healing and saving lives are never to be overlooked.

From receiving the fresh tiny baby into the world, to seeing to the aged on their way out of the world, nurses and midwives, by their training and work, have a chapter in the life story of almost every citizen.  

In a health facility, invariably, it is the nurse or midwife who ensures orderliness in the healthcare delivery, supporting the medical doctors to achieve the ultimate goal of healing and wellness.

From the capturing of vital statistics of the patient to drug administration, the work of a nurse or midwife cannot be dispensed with.

Their typical day rings bells of, “Go and see the nurse or midwife”.  

“The nurse will give you the injection,” “The nurse will give you the details of what to do next”, The nurse will dress the wound every day”, “Wait for the admission list or the discharge instructions from the nurse”.  

The list of “to-be-done” by the nurse or midwife is always endless, all pointing to ultimate healing.

On admission to the ward, the shouts of “Maame Nurse”, especially in the middle of the night, never cease.

They cannot sleep, even with the lights off, until the last patient stops calling for help.

That is why when they lay down their tools, patient care at the outpatient department as well as the inpatient becomes a worry.

This worry, no doubt, was again at the centre of emotions the entire 10 days of Nurses and Midwives strike action earlier this month.

Invariably, the critical role of these Nightingales which some of us take for granted, hits hard when the unfortunate happens and one lands in a healthcare facility as a patient.

Indispensable services

I came face to face with their indispensable services when decades ago, as a young graduate, I got involved in a life-threatening road traffic accident.

With multiples of fractures, lacerations and a dislocated hip, I had to be hospitalised for close to three months where nurses had to bathe me in bed, feed me in bed and served me with bed pans.

I have always thanked the nurses who were around me for nearly 100 days at the orthopaedic ward which became a virtual home.

The nurses were simply the best in my eventual healing and walk again without crutches or aids.

Till today, 45 years on, I am in touch with one of the nurses who was in my ward and who gave us expedited care and love in a ward where over 90 per cent of us on admission were bed-bound.

It is unfortunate therefore that these days, when they get disgruntled and feel their needs are sidelined by the employer, they take to an action that will hurt patients more than the employer.

The impact of any such strike action sometimes results in needless deaths.  

The action of the nurses and midwives in early June, regrettably, was no exception.

Though strikes by critical health workers for better work conditions are not new, not even in advanced countries as was experienced in England in 2022 when nursing staff took to a strike action for the first time in the history of registered nurses.

It goes without saying that the country is in dire need of nurses and continues to turn to other countries, including Ghana, for qualified nurses to augment their lot.

My point is, nurses and midwives are critical for health delivery systems.

Therefore, disputes or disagreements that could jeopardise the health status of patients need to be brought to the front burner for amicable and quick resolution.

The fire should be extinguished faster before irreparable damage is caused.

In the recent case of nurses and midwives strike, it is uplifting to know that the delay in the 2024 conditions of service agreement which included unpaid allowances and improved working conditions has been resolved and our Florence Nightingales are back at work, doing what they do best.

One is aware that unfortunate health crises, whether global or local, tend to push nursing in general to an escalated level of need.

Seemingly ignoring concerns that could be amicably resolved can hurt a nation and its people.

Let us use channels of communication between the employer and the employee and apply cordial ways and means to manage concerns and achieve prompt settlement for peace and tranquillity with the good of patients placed in the fore.

Writer’s E-mail: vickywirekoandoh@yahoo.com