Kirisitiana Uluwai 
The Fiji Nursing Association has expressed concern that the employment of nursing aids and assistants could jeopardize patient safety.
The Ministry of Health recently disclosed that this proposal emerged from recommendations put forth by a collaborative working group comprising of nursing association members and MoH officials.
President Doctor Alisi Vudiniabola says the association reaffirms that it did not endorse this proposal.
Dr Vudiniabola claims these extra hands are hired to fill in the vacuum created by the resignation of experienced registered nurses.
“It’s bad enough to have no experienced nurses on the floor, and now you have intern nurses who are temporarily regulated until they complete their internship, and then they would have their full license looking after patients, and then you have another unregulated, uneducated work force doing patient care.”
Dr Vudiniabola says these aids are not bound by the regulations that govern the nursing profession.
“That is important and what they have done when they do that is to water down the standards of care, the safety of patients to an unregulated workforce like the attendants and the nurse aids.”
The Permanent Secretary, Dr James Fong, confirms that the Ministry is in the process of recruiting these additional staff.
“The advertisement have gone out and we’re starting the process of bringing in more people to help the nurses in the wards and in the facilities.”
The salaries and wages budget for the Ministry of Health and Medical Services has increased to $126.4 million to hire 237 new intern nurses, 46 nursing assistants, and 50 nursing aids.
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