THE gross medical error against a five week old baby has raised condemnation from the public.
The isolated incident was when a nurse at the National Referral Hospital (NRH) accidently chopped off the finger of the 5 week old infant.
Our sympathy goes out to the infant’s parents and for the little one, who innocently lost her thumb.
One couldn’t imagine how bad it might have been for her and/or the nurse.
On top of that, this medical blunder is a serious one and it amounts to lawsuit.
While we sympathise with the family including the nurse who must have been feeling guilty, this should be a wakeup call for all health care workers including the government.
Our nurses work long hours under stressful conditions but this shouldn’t be an excuse for the mistake.
That aside, we know, a big portion of the government’s money is being spent on scholarship and tertiary education.
Sad to say, upon graduation, not every one of the scholars will be able to get a job.
So why are we spending more money on scholarships when there is not enough jobs?
Is government providing jobs for them?
The government should think of spending more money in sectors that matters.
Nursing or healthcare should be a priority for government. We need more nurses.
Currently our hospitals and clinics are understaffed.
The shifts are too long and nurses work under stressful conditions.
We cannot expect them to work long hours and be attentive at the same time.
Dealing with human beings is different and complex and should be treated as such.
The money spent on scholarship should have been used to increase the budget for healthcare staff and increase scholarship for nurses.
Though we might not have the desired technology in place as yet, increased capacity of human resources in that area will definitely cutback on medical errors or lessen complaints against healthcare workers.
Sometimes all that a patient needs is a loving, caring nurse to make them feel better. Thus it is very important government prioritise health.
After all health is everybody’s business.
