A Fiji pilot to replace a 40 hour week with three 12-hour shifts is concerning Fijian nurses who fear nursing care will be compromised, says former nurse leader Kuini Lutua.
The Fiji Times reported in early February that the Fijian Ministry of Health was changing working hours “in a bid to improve working standards and patient care”.
The pilot was due to begin in Labasa Hospital followed by Lautoka Hospital and the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva.
Lutua, until very recently the general secretary of the Fiji Nursing Association, said the nurses affected were very unhappy about the move and concerned nursing care standards would be compromised.
“Especially where there is no definite nurse to patient ratio, where nurses are allocated specific numbers of patients to care for, [and when there are] no proper rest rooms, meals, or tea and coffee areas.”
She believed the pilot was a cost-cutting measure as nurses would now only be paid for 36 hours.
Negativity over the move has been compounded by the Ministry of Health cutting of the provision of night transport, and the payment of night allowances to nurses.
Lutua was also concerned about the impact on nurses’ health and their family and home responsibilities.
The Fiji Times also quoted a Ministry spokesman saying another reason for implementing the pilot was to cater for the increase in registered nurses in Fiji, which had risen to more than 2000 by the end of 2011 Fiji has a population of about 880,000. New Zealand, in comparison, has 50,000 nurses for 4.4 million people.
