Nurses’ welfare should not be neglected as healthcare demand rises

Singapore is spending billions on healthcare and in the construction of new hospitals and medical facilities, especially in view of our rapidly ageing population.

However, the needs of healthcare workers will have to be supported as well if we are to have truly dedicated people with the heart and passion to serve, nurses being among them.

Some of my relatives and friends who work as nurses in public hospitals have talked about their challenging work conditions.

They clock nine-hour shifts on average without being given any time to rest and the patient-to-nurse ratio can be high. One nurse told me that in a single shift, she and an enrolled nurse serve up to 12 patients.

With stress, lack of rest and exhaustion, they may be likely to make errors in judgement and decision-making.

Some of them — despite being passionate about their jobs and excelling in them — choose to resign, resulting in the healthcare sector losing precious talent.

To retain nurses due to the manpower crunch, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in 2014 that nurses here could expect a 0.5-month special bonus and a salary increase of up to 10 per cent in 2015 and 2016, over and above their annual pay increments.

I urge MOH to thoroughly review the work conditions of nurses and, if possible, other healthcare workers so as to take the necessary measures to address them.

After all, the emotional, mental and physical well-being of the workers, and the overall future of the healthcare sector are at stake here.