Nurses: Populism will not cure the health care system

We expect a halt to health care raises. At the moment, nurses at the hospital earn more than the commander of the Border Guard in Wlodawa," this statement by Wlodawa starost Mariusz Zanko outraged nurses and midwives. - In the face of a threat to life, are we going to bid on who should earn more? - they ask and remind:

• Nurses and midwives make crucial decisions for patients every day. Their work is extremely demanding, and freezing raises will make salaries unable to keep up with rising living costs and responsibilities.
• The salary scale law affects all health care workers. The freeze on raises will hit not only nurses, but also doctors, physiotherapists and laboratory diagnosticians.
• Hospitals' financial problems stem from underfunding and inept management. The example of the hospital in Przasnysz shows how misguided administrative decisions lead to abuse and exploitation of medical personnel.
• Investment in the future of health care is lacking. Freezing raises is a short-sighted decision that will deepen the staffing crisis and reduce the quality of health care.
• The system is facing a huge shortage of nurses and midwives. Projections indicate that the situation will worsen in the coming years, and current decisions will not attract new specialists to the profession.

The NRPP indicates that if nothing changes, the health care system faces an even bigger crisis. Stopping the pay raises may result in mass departures of medical personnel, and this will threaten the safety of patients and the stability of health facilities. The nurses' and midwives' self-government announces that it will lodge a protest against the accusations with Wlodawa starost Mariusz Zanski and Bernard Wasko.

Source: NIPIP