Union warns not enough nurses to confront swine flu outbreak
The hiring freeze the union is saying is consistent with what some nurses being recruited from the Philippines to come to Alberta has been saying. They were told that there is no more nursing shortage in Alberta, w/c is why their cases have been pending.
Now, if there is really a nursing shortage in Alberta w/c for quite sometime they have been saying there isn't then what more more for other provinces that never instituted hiring freezes nor denied there is a shortage in their provinces ??
Another worthwhile observation. Their union is actually saying there is a nursing shortage and accuses their Provincial health officials of freeze hiring. This is pretty much the opposite of what's happening in the US, even though there really is a national shortage.
Continuing to peddle that there is no national shortage in the US, specially on these times is really bad timing and inappropriate. They should know when to stop. Look at what's happening to Alberta. They are pretty much on the panic mode now.
Alberta needs more nurses in a hurry? They should let the foreign nurses who have pending cases for almost a year now to finally come in.
Union warns not enough nurses to confront swine flu outbreak
Excerpts:
EDMONTON — The province doesn’t have enough nurses to deal with a major resurgence of the swine flu, says a vice president of the United Nurses of Alberta (UNA).
And Jane Sustrik says nobody from the province has even bothered to contact the organization — that represents 24,000 nurses — to discuss emergency plans for a feared massive flu outbreak this fall.
Asked if there are enough nurses to deal with that, Sustrik said, “If this was to happen this week or tomorrow, absolutely not. We’re short of nurses.”
She’s calling for the immediate lifting of what the union says is a nursing hiring freeze but cautions it might not come soon enough to deal with a huge flu outbreak.
Sustrik said the province is already short 1,500 to 2,000 nurses. “The hiring freeze they instituted was really bad timing on their part. We’ve got to look at reversing this.”
Provincial health officials have denied there’s any freeze.
*Read full article: http://www.calgarysun.com/news/alberta/2009/08/20/10540061.html
Alberta is in a panic mode over a probable 2nd wave of the swine flu in the fall and winter.
They are willing to pay doctors over $500 an hour to treat H1N1 patients when the pandemic peaks.
Guess, they already know that a significant percentage of HCWs are unwilling to report for work when the pandemic becomes really serious and is not leaving it to chance.
And no one can now spin that Alberta has no nursing and physician shortages anymore. It is never a good idea in the first place to deny such things. It just comes back to bite you back from behind.
Now, I hope neighboring US is learning from Alberta's situation. For starters, special interest groups should at least temporarily stop their rhetoric that there is no nursing shortage. This is not the appropriate time to still continue with that, specially that about 1/3 of HCWs are expected not to report for work if it really gets serious.
Alberta may pay docs $500 an hour to treat swine flu
Excerpts:
EDMONTON -- Alberta is considering paying some doctors more than $500 an hour to treat swine flu patients if there is a serious pandemic.
The pay rate is part of a proposal being worked on by the province and the Alberta Medical Association.
It would apply to doctors who volunteered to work as part of a government flu response plan that would kick in if the health system were significantly disrupted by H1N1 or if a state of public health emergency were declared.
*Read full article: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090819/alberta_swine_090819/20090819?hub=Canada
This Topic Is Locked To Guest Posts
It's been a while since this topic was active, if you'd like to get it going again, please post as a registered member
