00:00Nurses gathered at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mount Hope warning of
00:06continued industrial action as concerns mount over pay delays and conditions inside the
00:12country's public health system.
00:14One nurse speaking during today's protest described the situation as unacceptable for
00:20health care professionals.
00:21When you get paid and pay your bills and you skate until the next month, we are professionals
00:26that is unacceptable.
00:27She says the demonstration reflects a deeper frustration among nurses across the
00:33system.
00:34We are fed up and we have had enough and generally nurses take and take and take so when this
00:40is
00:40that the push back you know that they have had enough.
00:43But beyond salary, she says the conditions on wards are a major concern.
00:49We function without medicine, without equipment, we have to walk the hospital to get medication
00:56forward.
00:58You work in here and you have to go and borrow somewhere else because you don't have.
01:01The patient suffering is not the fault of the nurse.
01:05The nurse also raised concerns about staffing policies, particularly the hiring of patient
01:11care assistants.
01:11We have no problem with patients.
01:14What we have a problem with is the appearance that the nurse could be easily replaced.
01:21She stressed the level of training required in the profession and the need for respect.
01:26We go to school for years and study and we deserve to be treated with respect.
01:33We have never felt respected within the land here.
01:36It's not just this government.
01:37We have been consistently disrespected.
01:40Addressing claims about nurses' earnings, she pointed to the chronic understaffing as
01:44the real issue.
01:46If nurses don't work pool or overtime, the whole system will shut down because we don't
01:50have enough staff.
01:52Sometimes they're forced to work overtime because who is relieving you?
01:55They have nobody to relieve you.
01:56So you are saying that we should work for free.
02:01She added that long waiting times at hospitals are not due to protest action, but systemic failures.
02:08The long lines are because the government is not staffing the hospitals properly and because
02:14the government is disrespecting nurses.
02:17And with key concerns still unresolved, she warned that action could continue.
02:23We are not paid our overtime, we are not paid our pool, yes, the action will continue.
02:28Because at some point, we have to say enough is enough and this is the time.
02:34Nurses say until their concerns are addressed, including proper staffing, timely payments and
02:39improved working conditions, protest action is likely to continue.
02:44We are Vishitawari Rupanarain, TV6 News.
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