As the 120,000 nurses in the country face severe pressure from the worsening situation, the Malayan Nurses Union (MNU) has this simple message to people from all walks of life – just stay home.
MNU president Nor Hayati Abd Rashid, who made this impassioned plea, urged the people to think of the stress nurses and other medical staff are going through in the hospitals which can be extremely difficult.
“We are not asking for more money. Please remember that nurses are also daughters, mothers and grandmothers who are sacrificing a lot for the nation during this critical time. Spare us a thought and help break the Covid-19 chain,” she told FMT.
Nor Hayati said her fellow nurses in the various hospitals have related many horrible stories of how there are many younger patients now being infected with the new variants of Covid-19.
“We are not asking for any sympathy but my appeal for people to stay home is simply to help the country get back on its feet again,” she added.
She said unlike other civil servants who can work from home, nurses have to be in the thick of things and face the situation directly.
“Being on your feet for eight hours wearing the full PPE can be very tough. Believe me, it is not easy, but we have to. We were all relieved late last year when the daily positive cases reached zero.
“Then we saw how Malaysians were completely ignoring the SOPs, going around lingering even in hotspots. This is indeed irresponsible and has now caused the hospitals to reach full capacity,” she said.
Nor Hayati said because of this, many of her members were being redeployed to states like Kelantan, Sarawak and Selangor, adding that although they were doing it without complaining, their families face much pressure.
However, she said, since their services were crucial to the needs of the nation, especially during this pandemic, they were prepared to make sacrifices.
According to Nor Hayati, nurses’ workload has almost doubled now with having to administer vaccines and also handle patients with other illnesses as the health ministry has directed all hospitals to optimise the use of manpower and wards for Covid-19.
“Our wish on this day is for the government to train and recruit more nurses to meet the increasing medical and healthcare needs for Malaysia which is an ageing country.
“The country needs at least 30,000 more nurses to meet the current needs,” she said.
On a positive note, Nor Hayati said she was glad that there were counsellors in all hospitals for nurses to turn to for advice if any feeling of stress or depression was beginning to affect their performance.
Cuepacs president Adnan Mat paid tribute to the nurses who he said played a role in the lives of Malaysians from birth to death.
“They are an integral part of a person’s life, so let’s appreciate their sacrifices. Their role is noble and let’s not take it for granted. Their sacrifices during this Covid-19 pandemic is commendable,” he said.
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