Hospitals reel as shortage of trained nurses hits hard

Hospitals reel as shortage of trained nurses hits hard

Many Leave For Better Salaries Elsewhere

Ardhra.Nair@timesgroup.com

Pune:19.04.2021 

Hospitals in the city are facing an acute shortage of nursing staff after many took up offers in their native states and abroad for lucrative pay packages.

Workload in the Covid-19 pandemic has increased and hospitals have upped their bed capacity to accommodate more patients, stretching the nursing staff to the limits.

Many hospitals said earlier one nurse managed 5-6 patients, but now it is 15 patients. Similarly, if the ratio for ICU beds was one nurse per bed, it is now three beds per staff.

Abrarali Dalal, chief operating officer in Sahyadri Hospitals, said their units were full just like the last year’s. “There is a global shortage of nursing staff. Indian nurses are getting lucrative offers, especially from the Gulf countries. Fresh graduates are not available as colleges have not held exams or have delayed the results during the pandemic. There is a shortage of senior nursing staff to cope with the sudden increase in patients. Nurses are now working almost beyond their capacities,” he added.

Noble Hospital said they need over 400 nurses but have  235. Most are from other states and have gone back home or abroad, some switched to the jumbo facilities while 30 went into government health services.

“Some nurses stopped coming after the March salary. We have complained to the police station that 25 nurses have left without any intimation and don’t take our calls. The government is asking us to increase the beds, but where is the manpower? We have told senior doctors and consultants to do ward duty which is not their job profile. Attrition in nurses affects us the most because about 70% of the work when a patient is admitted in the hospital is done by hem,” executive director H K Sale said.

Lokmanya Hospital, Chinchwad has doubled the salaries during the pandemic but it is still hard to retain them.

“If earlier we had one nurse per patient on a ventilator, now we are forced to have one nurse for 2-3 patients on a ventilator. Since there is more probability of healthcare workers contracting the virus, they are leaving for their native places because they feel that even if they test positive, they should be near their loved ones rather than staying in isolation in an unknown place,” COO Shrikrishna Joshi said.

They have increased operational beds for Covid patients to 150, but the nursing staff strength has not gone up. Earlier a nurse would care for six patients, now it is 15.