While nurses fighting the coronavirus around the world have been cheered in public, last month’s incident in Cebu, where a nurse was refused entry to the community where she lives, demonstrated public stigma and discrimination. We’ve also read stories of nursing discrimination in many countries like Mexico, Australia, Canada.
The Philippines so far has more than 9,000 cases of COVID-19 and more than 600 deaths. But many nurses say they are presumed to carry the virus, are shunned in public, refused access to public transport, and even evicted from their rented homes.
Around the world, our nurses are demonstrating their compassion and courage as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and never before has their value been more clearly shown. Nevertheless, in many studies, health care workers have been cited as experiencing a high risk of violence. Many health workers suffer physical abuse at some point in their careers, and a lot more are threatened or exposed to verbal aggression.
Violence against health workers is unacceptable. Violence against nurses does not only have a negative impact on their psychological and physical well-being, it also affects their job motivation. As a long-term consequence, this kind of violence compromises the quality of care nurses can offer, and puts the health care system at risk. What happened in Cebu or elsewhere in the country does not reflect the best of us Filipinos.
Not many people know that nurses who care for COVID-19 patients are feeling extreme physical fatigue and discomfort caused by the outbreak, due to the intense work, large number of patients, and lack of personal protective materials. Indeed, the physical exhaustion, psychological helplessness, and the health threat itself frequently lead to a large number of negative emotions such as anxiety, fear, and powerlessness.
Our nurses have the right to live in an environment free of discrimination. They deserve our support and encouragement, and should be accorded respect.
Jerome Babate
President
Beta Nu Delta Nursing Society
admin@betanudelta.com