DUBLIN: ICU nurses at St. Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin are suffering from a lack of infrastructure despite the continued spread of COVID-19.
The nurses complained that the safety issues pointed out in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic were still unresolved. The nurses say that despite the constant complaints about the cramped changing room, sink and lack of shower facilities, which are just two meters wide, nothing has changed.
Some nurses shared the frustration and uneasiness of not being included on the priority list when the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine was administered.
‘You may feel that our concerns are too small and silly. But for us it is a big problem. Due to the inadequacy of the infrastructure, people have to stand in queues for hours to take a shower after work’ – said a nurse who has worked at the hospital for more than ten years.
They say that there is no sink on one side of the ICU and the sink on the other side is so small that it is very difficult to even wash their hands.
In the first wave of COVID-219, and then in the second and third, their misery was pointed out several times, but not yet resolved. The nurses said the concerns of the ICU nurses were constantly being ignored and nothing was being implemented.
At the same time, a hospital spokesperson said that all the basic facilities required for nurses have been ensured and excellent working conditions. He said the facilities are constantly being reviewed and employees should contact their line manager if they have any issues or complaints.
However, the nurses are of the view that the hospital authorities should take action to ensure better infrastructure. Another nurse said she had been suffering for months and that the situation would get worse if COVID-19 had a new wave.
The use of shower facilities from the queue at the beginning of the pandemic did not affect us greatly. But today it has become unbearable. In addition, she said that although nurses in the ICU like their job, most are frustrated with the infrastructure.
It is unfortunate that ICU nurses who have to deal with COVID patients and at-risk patients do not have adequate facilities to ensure hygiene and social distance. We do not think we need more money. Instead, we want a safe work environment. One nurse said communication with staff was not going well. She added that while nurses are properly involved in ensuring the safety of patients, nurses do not have adequate facilities to ensure safety.
Inadequacies in vaccine distribution
The ICU nurses also said that there was a problem with the supply of the COVID-19 vaccine at the hospital. They allege that the first dose of the vaccine was given to office workers and cooks, excluding ICU nurses who have to deal most closely with patients.
Meanwhile, a hospital spokesman said that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine arrived at the hospital on Tuesday and that the staff had been vaccinated as instructed by the line managers. He added that with the availability of the second batch of vaccines, the vaccine will be given to about 2,000 staff at the hospital.
At the same time, the ICU nurses expressed concern about the third wave of COVID-19 and said that the hospital authorities should be ready immediately to address the basic problems of the nurses.