As Ontario grapples with a due to COVID-19 and the Omicron variant amid new restrictions that came into effect Wednesday, health-care workers and advocates are calling for more attention and resources to be allotted to nurses buckling under the shortages and overwork.
Speaking on 麻豆影视 Channel on Wednesday, CEO of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario Doris Grinspun did not mince words about how the province鈥檚 nursing staff are feeling with the pandemic strain.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e feeling overstressed, but more importantly鈥hey鈥檙e feeling extremely, extremely abandoned by this Premier,鈥 Grinspun said of Ont. Premier Doug Ford. 鈥淒o you have any idea how many phone calls I have left? [sic] This is a premier that used to call me back all the time, [and] is ignoring nurses because he knows what he is doing 鈥 he鈥檚 taking photo ops with empty beds.鈥
Grinspun said that both Ford and Health Minister Christine Elliot have not been returning her calls of late.
鈥淚t is a disgrace, they are abandoning nurses,鈥 she continued. 鈥淣urses, instead of having three to five patients, have 10 patients. Just picture the safety for patients and the moral distress for nurses being left in that situation.鈥
Grinspun said other premiers have been 鈥渟peaking about nurses鈥 and doing what they can to address the issues in other provinces surrounding pandemic strain on resources and staffing 鈥 but she does not see the same efforts from the Ontario government.
鈥淚nstead of calling back and having a conversation, or at least saying on national television 鈥業 am with you鈥欌 here that is not the case,鈥 she said.
In a statement emailed to CTVNews.ca on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of Health said the province has added over 6,700 health-care workers and staff to the system, including more than 4,700 nursing externs and preceptors in acute care, and is working to add 6,000 more health-care workers before the end of March.
鈥淥micron has resulted in a sudden and significant increase in hospital admissions, as well as a recent increase in staffing challenges in the health care sector due to the rapid rise in infection and exposure. That鈥檚 why we took swift action to temporarily move the province into Step Two of its Roadmap to Reopen with modifications to blunt transmission and prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed as the province continues to accelerate its booster dose rollout,鈥 the statement reads.
Outlining what the province has done to mitigate the burden on nurses, including pausing all non-emergent and surgeries and procedures, issuing a call for qualified individuals to assist in the vaccination drive, and updating the province, the statement said the province 鈥渨ill continue to work with our health care and hospital partners to ensure they have the support they need and will not hesitate to take further action as needed.鈥
Neither Ford鈥檚 office nor the Ministry of Health addressed specific allegations made by Grinspun, such as not returning calls and the patient to nurse ratio in province鈥檚 hospitals.
鈥淲e said to the premier how to fix this problem,鈥 Grinspun said, noting staff working double shifts and 16-hour days, or being unable to find childcare.
鈥淣umber one, repeal Bill 124 immediately. He has the emergency powers to do that 鈥 that would send a message,鈥 she said of the nursing wage-suppression legislation.
Grinspun listed other actions she says Ford should take to address the situation, including publicly speaking up about the issues facing nurses in particular, topping up compensation and fast-tracking internationally-educated nurses so they can enter the workforce.
鈥淭here are a thousand solutions鈥ut the premier is choosing to ignore them,鈥 Grinspun said. 鈥淲e are absolutely distressed that the premier is saying all the time 鈥榃e didn鈥檛 know,鈥 鈥榃e are doing our best.鈥 Let me tell you, we will not have enough ICU beds for children 鈥 we have warned the government.鈥
Grinspun said she would be sending an open letter to the premier on Wednesday outlining her and her association's concerns.
鈥淓nough is enough, he needs to respond.鈥
