Nurses urged to go back to work as country combats Covid

By GLORIA BAUAI
NURSES are badly needed during the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and should return to work, says Morobe Provincial Health Authority chief executive officer Dr Kipas Binga.
The nurses are into the second day of a sit-in protest over grievances they have with the Government.
Dr Binga said nurses must return to work so that normal services could resume.
“We need all health workers as much as possible to resume their responsibility,” he said.
He thanked the nurses’ association for having some working during the day.
Momase Nurses Union president Siling Awasa said more than 300 nurses in Morobe stood in solidarity with nurses from other provinces until their demand for the industrial awards was met by the Government.
She said they would have skeleton staff working during the day while the evening and night shifts would be fully manned.
Nurses in Lae during the sit-in protest at the Angau Memorial Hospital yesterday said having no response for over two days from the Government was unacceptable.
Sr Awasa said the risks nurses faced had drastically increased with the Covid-19 pandemic.
“One clause under the award is the medical life insurance for nurses,” she said. “We’ve already lost nurses due to the Covid-19 and more are at risk of assault.
“We need funding to the insurance company so that we’re insured. We will continue this protest until we get a favourable response.”