Nursing Expansion On A Wing And A Prayer in JK

Nursing officer-“just another word to describe a person strong enough to tolerate anything and soft enough to understand anyone.” Was this year just a celebration for nursing officers or was it having a theme to ponder upon? Was it just an announcement or was it reality to practice on ground?
2020 was designated as the Year of the Nursing officers and the Midwife by the World Health Organization in recognition of the contributions they make, and the risks associated with nursing shortages. Nursing officers and midwives are key to the achievement of WHO’s goal of Universal Health Coverage because they play a critical role in health promotion, disease prevention and the delivery of care in all settings. ICN President Annette Kennedy said: “Whenever I talk to nurses, I realise that each of them has a story to tell. They are with patients from birth to death, they share in their saddest and most joyful times, they help them to get through the most traumatic of situations and they help them to recover their lives. And sometimes, they sit with patients while they are dying, providing comfort and solace in the last moments of life. In 2020 we need nurses to share their stories, to tell their families, their friends and the communities that they live in what it is like to be a nurse, the pressures they are under, the challenges face and the triumphs they witness. Increasing the public’s understanding of who nurses are, what they do and the amazing contribution they make to the societies they live in, will help us to ensure that the legacy of 2020 will go on for years in the shape of more and better supported nurses providing essential care in the communities they serve.” Nursing officers proved Theme of WHO for the year 2020.This year proved that nursing is the hospitality of hospitals. When whole world was scared even to touch the healthy ones, when whole world was hiding in their cozy rooms, nursing officers proved their metal in their respected covid wards.
Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.” The root cause of all these deprivations, sufferings is not because nursing professionals lack professional skills but they lack courage to fight for their rights, resistance within to resist tyrannical orders. Last but not the least vocal & active Nursing association.
Amid fear of corona in their hearts and minds downgrading their steel will to work, professionalism always kept them going. They never compromised on their values. Working 24*7 in covid wards far from their loved ones, struggling to breath, drink, eat and sweating heavily beneath their PPE kits never degraded their moral to quit, but instead they cared tirelessly without fear. It is not everybody’s cup of tea to work in such chaos and confusion. But what is lacking in nursing in JK are not mere vocal cords but vibration in vocal cords. Vocal cords that need to vibrate for their rights. We always behave mute spectators and think that we are not supporting injustice but our non vocal behavior is itself a crime that time. If our demand is genuine raising voice against injustice is itself an honor, no matter what the consequences will be. It was quite heart breaking and heart wrenching after hearing, on 11th April 2020. Amid staff shortage, Govt terminated 250 nurses. That time others instead of raising their voice kept mum and acted like it hardly matters for them. Again recently on 9th October 2020,SKIMS Administration in its first order suspended 4 nurses following which their colleagues staged protest demanding revocation of the suspension order besides demanding an end to three tier shift system, sources said. After the protest, the administration issued one more order suspending 3 more nurses.
Who is responsible??Whom to blame for these tyrannical orders? We mute spectators or unruly dictators. It is rightly said by — Elie Wiesel,
“We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.” The root cause of all these deprivations, sufferings is not because nursing professionals lack professional skills but they lack courage to fight for their rights, resistance within to resist tyrannical orders. Last but not the least vocal & active Nursing association.
(The author is a student of Nursing. Views are his own) [email protected]