Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union has again threatened industrial action following their botched meeting to discuss their allowances on Thursday. Justus Cherop Kiplangat, the President of the Union says they went to the Ministry of Public Service to alert the Minister and Permanent Secretary about …
Read More »Union threatens protests as politicians torture nurses
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union (UNMU) has received 18 cases of nurses being harassed by politicians since March when the government instituted a lockdown to halt further spread of COVID-19. The President of the Union Cherop Justus Kiplangat told URN in an interview that …
Read More »‘They are the heroes now’ — virus doctors join racism protests
New York, United States | AFP | New York nurses and doctors, hailed as heroes for fighting the coronavirus outbreak, are denouncing racial segregation in the public health system by joining the George Floyd protests. Wearing masks, hospital scrubs and other personal protective equipment like face visors, about a hundred-something medical …
Read More »Nurses abandon COVID-19 patient over unpaid allowances
Jinja, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Nurses at the Jinja COVID-19 isolation centre have declined to usher in a new patient in protest of unpaid allowances and lack of communication from the hospital administrators. The new patient was taken to the hospital at around 3 p.m, on Wednesday. But instead of …
Read More »Virus stigma weighs heavily in sub-Saharan Africa
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Landlords evict people from their homes, nurses are abandoned by their husbands and people are spurned just on suspicion of coming into contact with a COVID-19 patient. Across sub-Saharan Africa, the stigma attached to the coronavirus is so strong that some choose not to seek treatment …
Read More »Now that we appreciate health workers, it’s time to improve staffing norms Mr. President
COMMENT | Rebecca Nalwoga Mukwaya | During one of his recent national addresses on the status of COVID-19, President Yoweri Museveni thanked health workers who have worked tirelessly to treat patients. He described their work as ‘world class’ as no death from the pandemic had occurred yet. Admittedly, the health workers …
Read More »Border nurses forced to choose between Canada, US
Toronto, Canada | AFP | At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian nurse Nikki Hillis-Walters was asked to choose between her two healthcare jobs — one in Canada, and one in the United States. She picked the latter, telling AFP: “It just felt like I was needed there.” She and …
Read More »Struggle, fear and heartbreak for medical staff on virus frontline
Rome, Italy | AFP | Doctors, nurses and healthcare workers have become the unwitting heroes of the coronavirus pandemic, winning applause from balconies and streets around the world. From Yaounde to Rome to New York, the pandemic has infected more than 1.9 million people and claimed 118,000 lives. Hospital workers are …
Read More »Struggle, fear and heartbreak for medical staff on virus frontline
Rome, Italy | AFP | Doctors, nurses and healthcare workers have become the unwitting heroes of the coronavirus pandemic, winning applause from balconies and streets around the world. From Yaounde to Rome to New York, the pandemic has infected more than 1.9 million people and claimed 118,000 lives. Hospital workers are …
Read More »World short of six million nurses, WHO says
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | As COVID-19 captures global headlines, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned Tuesday that the world needs nearly six million nurses. The UN’s health agency along with partners Nursing Now and the International Council of Nurses (ICN) underscored in a report the crucial role played by nurses, …
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