In the last few weeks, nurses in the USA and Britain have shown their fiery attitudes. After a 3-day strike, 7 thousand nurses of two hospitals in New York city, Mount Sinai and Montefiore Medical Centre, returned to work on 12th January. Earlier to this, thousands of nurses of the National Health Services in Britain organized a strike for 2 days in the month of December, and there is a probability of them stopping their work during the next week as well.
The demands put up by the nurses of both the countries are similar in nature, and they are of the opinion that there is a requirement for better wages and getting rid of the lack of health care workers in hospitals. The New York State Nurses Association worked out an agreement in order to end the strikes in both the hospitals. As per them, the lack of staffers will come to an end, and a 19% increase will be made in the wages.
The nurses on strike have said that the lack of staffers has been persisting for many years now, but the problem aggravated further during the pandemic. There is a lack of 1100 nurses in both the hospitals. Between the years 2020 and 2021, more than 1 lakh nurses have bid adieu to their jobs in the USA. According to the population survey published in 2022, this is the highest fall in the last 40 years. The crisis of a lack of nurses can now be seen in 2023 as well.
As per the American Health Department, 15% hospitals have a shortage of staff looking after the patients. In the meanwhile, COVID-19 cases are increasing in the USA once again. Till 8th January, 44 thousand patients were admitted in hospitals. According to the American Nursing College, much expansion of the nursing schools in the country could not take place, and there is a lack of nursing faculty as well. As a result, there are problems with the education of new people. There is no lack of trained nurses in the New York State, but a lack of motivation for them to continue their jobs.
