- Staff warns boycotting duties after Eid
The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) is facing an acute shortage of nursing staff which is not only adding to the miseries of the patients but the nurses are also suffering due to workload.
The PIMS being the largest public sector hospital in the federal capital has a very limited nursing staff due to which they have to perform duties beyond their capacity.
At the hospital, one paramedic has to look after around 70 patients, which is nearly four times more than that of international practices, where each nurse has to look after eight patients. Besides, there should be one nurse for one patient in critical care, but currently, one staffer was looking after eight critical patients in the intensive care units.
Talking to Pakistan Today, PIMS Nursing Staff Association General Secretary Naeem Ashraf said that there is an acute staff shortage because a good number of nurses were retired and no new recruitment has been made due to which patients are suffering.
He said that apart from the workload, there was a huge difference in utility allowances which are paid to the provincial nursing staffers and those from the federal. The federal nurses, he said, are paid Rs300 kit and Rs800 ration allowance respectively, while the provinces pay around Rs11, 000 to their nursing staffers in various hospitals.
“Our nursing staff stipend is Rs7,000, while other provinces have been paying them Rs20,000 stipends,” he added.
Naeem said that due to the confused status of the hospital after its merger with the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU), a number of issues remained unresolved.
He said that they raised the issue several times at various forums, but no one paid any heed, warning they would boycott their duties after Eid if their genuine problems were not addressed forthwith.
“Nursing staff are facing great problems due to the workload, as they have to do protocol duties, but no extra allowances have been given to them,” he lamented.
“The total strength of nursing staff at PIMS is around 700 at present, adding that the hospital is divided into various sections due to which they have to work in three shifts.
Robina, a senior nurse, said that 28 nurses who were selected for two years studies were doing duty along with study because of a shortage of staff due to which they neither focused on study nor on work.
However, she said that only they were relieved for study after a strong protest, adding that no new hiring has been made for the last 10 to 12 years due to which they are facing tremendous problems.
She said that the nurses wanting to appear in exams are also facing difficulties, because of the dearth of staff as they could not concentrate on study.
The hospital initiated the process of inducting 250 nurses in 2012, but the process has been stalled on the excuse of the issue of merger of the hospital with SZABMU.
The nurses demanded from the government to hire new staff so as to ease the burden of the present staff.
While talking to Pakistan Today, SZABMU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Javed Akram said that undoubtedly shortage of nursing staff is a gigantic problem the facility is facing.
He said that they wanted to hire nursing staff long ago but it was delayed because of the No Objection Certificate (NOC) issue.
However, Akram expressed optimism that the process would be resolved soon, as the process of hiring new staff would be started because the posts have already been advertised and interviews would be started from Tuesday.
