Make Nursing More Attractive

I HAVE been working and living in UK with my two children since 2003 and am a nurse by profession.

I have been following the current ‘debate’ between the nurses and MOHSS with keen interest. I just have a few questions for our Government leaders, and I would appreciate it if any top politician or senior civil servant answers me and the nation at large.Namibia is facing a critical shortage of nurses at the moment, especially in state health facilities.Apart from training more young Namibians, bringing in Kenyan and Cuban nurses (who are failing to work efficiently because of the language barrier), when is the Government going to look at better conditions of service as a way of attracting nurses back to the profession? The call for retired nurses to go back to the hospital wards has fallen on deaf ears – and the reason is because of poor conditions of service.Retired nurses are better off ploughing mahangu in the fields than being exposed to infection for a few thousand dollars a month.State veterinary doctors today are earning about three times more than State medical doctors.If our Government increased salaries for State vets, why can’t they do the same for our State doctors and nurses in order to attract more professionals into our hospitals? Our people wait long hours before they are seen by doctors and nurses because of a critical shortage of these essential workers.I really want to come back to work in Namibia but when I think about the conditions of service, then my children are better off here.In conclusion, I would like MPs, Cabinet, Public Service Commission and other institutions to seriously look at way of improving conditions of service for risky professions in the public service such as health workers, the Police, NDF and prison wardens.And to those who still believe that ‘nursing is a calling’, they need to know that nurses have to pay bills just like any other person and have children to feed and send to school.Nurse in UK Via e-mail Note: Name and address providedEdI just have a few questions for our Government leaders, and I would appreciate it if any top politician or senior civil servant answers me and the nation at large.Namibia is facing a critical shortage of nurses at the moment, especially in state health facilities.Apart from training more young Namibians, bringing in Kenyan and Cuban nurses (who are failing to work efficiently because of the language barrier), when is the Government going to look at better conditions of service as a way of attracting nurses back to the profession? The call for retired nurses to go back to the hospital wards has fallen on deaf ears – and the reason is because of poor conditions of service.Retired nurses are better off ploughing mahangu in the fields than being exposed to infection for a few thousand dollars a month.State veterinary doctors today are earning about three times more than State medical doctors.If our Government increased salaries for State vets, why can’t they do the same for our State doctors and nurses in order to attract more professionals into our hospitals? Our people wait long hours before they are seen by doctors and nurses because of a critical shortage of these essential workers.I really want to come back to work in Namibia but when I think about the conditions of service, then my children are better off here.In conclusion, I would like MPs, Cabinet, Public Service Commission and other institutions to seriously look at way of improving conditions of service for risky professions in the public service such as health workers, the Police, NDF and prison wardens.And to those who still believe that ‘nursing is a calling’, they need to know that nurses have to pay bills just like any other person and have children to feed and send to school.Nurse in UK Via e-mail Note: Name and address provided Ed