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NEARLY 14,000 Irish-qualified nurses and midwives have left Ireland for other health services since 2010 as morale within the sector has been described as one of “dejection”.
The figure was derived by the number of certificates of verification handed to nurses and midwives. This is a document which is given to foreign healthcare providers to prove they have received the appropriate qualification.
The figure means the nation is losing, on average, 2,000 highly-qualified healthcare workers every year.
And according to the heads of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) and the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), the mass exit comes as no surprise.
General Secretary of the INMO, Liam Doran, told TheJournal.ie that the disrespect shown to his members by management has forced the hand of thousands of people.
“There has been cut after cut here. In all my time here, I have never seen such low morale and dejection than what we are seeing now. It’s been a cumulative effect. We’ve had the recruitment embargo for one. That’s forcing people to do more work with fewer resources.
People are burning out and saying ‘I can’t do this anymore’ and you can’t blame them. Nurses and midwives are durable people but there’s only so much they can take.
The INMO announced last month that 90% of its members had voted in favour of industrial action. The turnout was 62%.
Nurses and midwives say that they are understaffed and overworked, and that these conditions make it impossible to care properly for patients.
Doran attacked hospital management and the Department of Health for what he described as the “abject failure” of the system to protect and value its staff. Nurses, according to Doran, can leave Ireland and get snapped up by a foreign recruiter in an instant.
An Irish nurse is highly sought after due to the four years of education they receive prior to receiving their degree. Most nations have a three-year course.
“In the UK, for example, they’re offering at least the same pay, bonuses are better, working hours are better, so are the staff levels,” Doran added.
John Duddy, who is president of the IMO, said he is seeing a number of experienced nurses leave hospitals due to the poor conditions.
Duddy, who is a neurosurgeon at Cork University Hospital, gave en example of a nurse who just had enough.
He was working in the intensive care unit in CUH with “a very experienced nurse who had worked in the US and who is very knowledgeable”.
The nurse was talking to a patient and had said in passing that it was her last day. Duddy enquired as to whether she was going on holidays. She turned to him and said ‘no. This is it. I’m leaving. I’ve had enough’.
Duddy added: “You see this more often these days and it’s always the same couple of issues. The first one is that they have to arrive 45 minutes early so they can queue up and get a car spot. Then the other major complaint is that when they have an idea which can improve the service, they tell management and management completely ignores it. It becomes far too frustrating for them and I can understand that.”
Offers
While the country loses its best and brightest to other shores, Liam Doran believes more concessions must be made to Irish nurses to firstly keep them in Ireland and secondly, keep them in the public sector.
At the moment, Irish nurses who work in private hospitals and clinics can earn substantially more than their public counterparts, according to Doran.
“The health service should write to every fourth year nursing student and offer them a permanent job. They should send the message that the nurses and midwives are valued. Offer them security straight away. That’s what I think. The disrespect has gone on too long and it needs to stop. The cuts went too deep and the country is paying for that now,” Doran added.
It is hypocritical in the extreme that the US would speak of Security Council/UN resolutions being broken when it’s closet ally in the Middle East, breaks them or outright ignores them on a daily basis.
Also, lest the world forget, the US contributed to North Korea becoming a nuclear state when it turned a blind eye to Pakistani nuclear scientists assisting the North Koreans with nuclear knowledge and equipment claiming officially no such transfer was occurring when in reality it knew what was occurring but did not want to jeopardise relations with Pakistan.
Seoirse, are you sure your not b Lowe because you sound exactly like him. Go ahead and defend North Korea. You make a stupid argument!
They broke international shipping laws and got caught. Get over it.
”Go ahead and defend North Korea.”
He is not necessarily defending N Korea – just stating facts . If facts are too much for u – !!
Jim, saoirse, is stating this as fact. How does he know what went on?
B Lowe talking through his …. again. If is ant-British or anti-US Lowe will be there.
I think b Lowe has a new identity
Correction Pauric, even if its an unrelated topic, if an anti-UK or anti-US slant can somehow be put on it, no matter how tenuous, BLowe will be there…
”, if an anti-UK or anti-US slant can somehow be put on it, no matter how tenuous, BLowe will be there…”
the problem is that with the way the US /UK and many countries in the West behave – it is easy to knock their many illegal actions . Not too many countries have a President who openly boasts of his Murder List .
The west – and US in particular seem to be going out of their way to create enemies – maybe they do that on purpose -to keep the Arms trade going and the money.
Jim, really? Would you like to comment on the illegal activities of North Korea. I believe it has its own arms trade. Also money laundering.
Check it all out and get back to us.
How about the arms trading done by Sweden, France, Austria, Russia amongst others.
But for you and your ilk it’s always the same ole anti- US RANT’
@Jim
Yes, but this article is about an illegal ams shipment from Cuba to North Korea, and the Panamanian response after uncovering it!
Its a bit like the people who twist almost every article on TJ to make a comment about our bankers and politicians!
Its wrong for Cuba to export arms – to N Korea – but ok for US ,UK and France to export to wherever they wish eg Saudi Arabia , Syria ,Iran Israel etc – .
BBC this morning reported that UK govt had issued 3,000 licenses [ value £ 12 Billion ] for arms export to several countries eg China , Iran, Saudi Arabia , Israel- – but that all legal and ok -
——— total hypocrisy once again – but will make good headlines on Fox and keep US population in more fear – a difficult feat .
The difference is that the US ,UK France etc are not hiding their sales in shiploads of Sugar. They are following international trade rules.
”They are following international trade rules.”
— which they write themselves !!
…typical, 2 dodgy dictatorships got caught dealing in spare parts for nuclear weapons but people can’t resist the opportunity to ‘America bash’
Cuba is one cheeky little k^^t
What is a k^^t?
Same as a C^^T
Knight. Cuba is a cheeky little knight.
Sure those were just props for parades
Obvious dry run
The North Koreans seized a small US navy ship years ago, they refused to give it back and now take what few tourists they get on tours of it, rubbing the US noses in the fact they kept the vessel. This cargo ship should be kept also, not necessarily because of the US ship being kept but to show NK that any ship found to be smuggling prohibited weapons “regardless of which country owns the vessel” or components will be seized. lets see how they will get contracts for shipping illegal weapons then. its the right thing to do, this dictatorship is starving its own people while buying illegal weapons to threaten the rest of the world. something needs to be done to stop it, no more words, action is needed.
Equipment was not listed on the manifest and was hidden under tons of sugar and sure tis old anyway me arse …… Cuba should not send to that madcap country god only knows what they will do with it . Seize the ship and sell it to pay for the upgrading work in Panama and warn Cuba and North Korea that in future if they try this the ship will be seized and they will lose the cargo . Do it legitimate like everyone else . As regards the crew 10 years in bars minimum , they knew what they were carting by their carry on and 20 for the captain . This will send the right message .
Wow! We are in the ha’penny place…
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