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NAJ President Patsy Edwards Henry
The Nurses Association of Jamaica (NAJ) is warning that the call for extra nurses at the University Hospital of the West Indies could encounter hurdles due to regulatory issues.
NAJ President Patsy Edwards Henry cautions that any volunteering by nurses must be in compliance with the legal framework.
The University Hospital made a public call this week for extra help to deal with the increase in patient load and the shortage of staff made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mrs Edwards Henry explains that if nurses are to volunteer they will not be able to carry out certain duties unless their registration is current.
"Why we would have persons to do assistive tasks, we can't have nurses volunteering to work and to actually do the care and go into the detailed care that the registered nurse would do without being registered by the Nursing Council of Jamaica," she explained.
The NAJ president said the nursing shortage can be solved if there is deep consultation and discussion, but the process will take time.
She said the NAJ is "constantly lobbying to get more nurses in" but are always told the ministry has "to work within their budget."
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