Also nurses and midwives, together with paramedics, participated on 14. 12. 2021 in a “clap for MPs.” The Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives, together with the Slovak Chamber of Health Rescue Workers, wanted to draw attention in this non-violent way that it is precisely us, the healthcare workers, who keep the healthcare system afloat, even though it has long been sinking. We are not the ones who fight against the prevailing measures, damage other people's property, and block traffic or restrict people’s freedom and life. Our aim was to remind MPs that thanking and taking photos with healthcare workers is not enough. We demand what has been promised to us repeatedly: better conditions for those on the front line of the fight with the largest healthcare crisis in modern times.
At the informal meeting in front of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, all of us really felt safe. There were more members of the Police Force of the Slovak Republic there than healthcare workers. We do not resent them, we do not criticize their work, and we respect them because the police force also understands our motives. We are, of course, deeply sorry that some healthcare workers were fined at the outset. The amount of 1 000 € is more than our monthly salary. Restricting our paramedic colleagues’ freedom was a blow to all of us, and we are having a hard time coping with this approach.
Yet we are disappointed to hear the prime minister’s statements that lump us together with protests by opposition extremists, or with politically organized demonstrations by a former prime minister. No, we do not belong to them, and under no circumstances are we asking for their support, because it was precisely MPs from the former governing coalition who brought the healthcare system to its knees over the years of their rule, and we can be their conscience, reminding them of that. It was they who devastated staffing in hospitals, they sent us to strike in front of Penta and mocked us to our faces. No, we have not forgotten, and none of them will gain political votes and percentages from us. This comparison, however, made us the target of various verbal attacks and belittling of the work of paramedics and nurses.
We call on government representatives to stop minimizing the data on the shortage of nurses and midwives in Slovakia. We are hearing odd behind-the-scenes claims that there are 500 more nurses in the healthcare system compared with 2020. Even another figure, 1700, was mentioned. If that were true, we would be incredibly happy, but the truth is completely elsewhere and can only be some off-key political joke and an excuse to avoid giving nurses and midwives what they are asking for. We have been facing the issue of not acknowledging the real shortage of healthcare workers for over ten years. The overall numbers were repeatedly downplayed by politicians, representatives of employers, and associations that cover individual healthcare institutions. The reason is clear to all of us. For many years, even the minimum staffing levels of healthcare personnel required to care for a given number of patients are not met, and facts are obfuscated that would prove violations of the Labour Code.
The real numbers are clear, and we present them each time, in almost every press release. Why are our numbers authoritative? Under Act No. 578/2004 Z. z., all healthcare workers must be registered in the relevant chamber. It is a form of professional regulation and it is also why we maintain oversight of our own profession and know who performs our work. So what are the actual figures from the SK SaPA register since the beginning of the pandemic (March 2020)? According to data from the SK SaPA register, during this period, 765 nurses and midwives entered the healthcare system as graduates in total. During the same period, 1 643 nurses and midwives left the healthcare system. Plus another 1 539 requested suspension of professional practice.
It makes no difference whether nurses and midwives left into retirement (60 – 70 %) or left for other reasons. Either way, they are missing in the system, and there is no one to replace them, and this trend will deepen in the coming years, since we consistently register thousands of nurses and midwives over the age of 55 and older. That is why we are surprised that information is being spread among MPs that has nothing to do with relevant staffing figures. In the end, patients also feel the staff shortage, because we cannot provide adequate care to them. Unfortunately, they do not realize this often enough.
Source: Slovenská komora sestier a pôrodných asistentiek The Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives (SK SaPA) is a self-governing professional organization with nationwide competence, based in Bratislava, bringing together 38 000 nurses and midwives. The main task of SK SaPA is to defend the professional, economic and social interests of chamber members in healthcare, social, educational and other institutions.