Nurses told about ethics

By ZINA KOIM
PAPUA New Guinea Nurses Association president Fredrick Kebai has urged nurses to abide by their professional ethics and code of conduct when doing their work.
He said they should also uphold the laws, rules and regulations of the profession, institution, nation, obey the rules and regulations that apply to them as stated by the Nursing Council of PNG and nurses’ association.
Kebai was commenting on an article The National published last week about the nurses’ professional conduct.
In the article retired nurse Magdalene Wagun criticised how some of her colleagues had been treating their patients and said they needed to improve their behaviour towards patients and not shout at them.
Wagun said senior officers should be given time to train new graduates before leaving the service. “Whether you are a lab technician, specialist or clerical staff in a hospital, your main duty must be to serve,” she said.
“I am currently in Port Moresby and I have been visiting patients at outside clinics in the nation’s capital and also receive complaints from patients that nurses were not performing to the standards required.
“This is a breach of nursing code of ethics and must be stopped as they are dealing with human lives.
“If they have breached the code of ethics, the immediate employer has to refer them to the PNG Nursing Council and the disciplinary committee,” Wagun said.
“The committee will then investigate and follow up on the misconduct and if the nurses are found to bridge the professional code of ethics and conducts, they will be subjected to disciplinary action.
“The nursing council has the power to rebook and remove their licence so they don’t practice nursing in the country.”
Kebai said the purpose of the code of ethics for the nurses in the country was to identity the fundamentals and moral commitments of the profession. “Also to provide nurses with the basis for professional and self-reflection on ethical practice,” he said.
“And to indicate to the community the moral values which nurses can be expected to uphold.”
He said the code of profession, supported the code of ethics in PNG, while the code of ethics focused on the ethics and the ideal of the profession and many more.
“The codes, together with competency standards provide a framework for nursing.”
“Under the code of ethics, in PNG, nurses should take responsibility to save and pursue and promote optimal wellbeing of individuals and groups.”