Shania Shayal Prasad 
Concerns have been raised over staffing shortages affecting the quality of patient care in hospitals across the country.
The Fiji Nursing Association claims nurses are struggling to manage growing patient numbers due to inadequate staffing and a lack of resources.
President Dr. Alisi Vudiniabola says the current nurse-to-patient ratios in some hospitals fall far below international standards.
She notes that in general wards, the ratio should be one nurse to six patients, but at CWM and other hospitals, it is often three times higher.
“One nurse to maybe sixteen or twenty patients. You can become inef-ficient in trying to get through the whole list. You can probably do one or two properly and the rest.”
Dr. Vudiniabola adds this situation leads to burnout and fatigue among nurses, which affects the overall care provided to patients.
“People lack concentration and you just deliver whatever you can deliver according to your energy level or your concentration levels and so forth. Some inefficiencies are due to the lack of resources that they have.”
Health Minister Dr. Atonio Lalabalavu has acknowledged the issue and confirmed that the Ministry of Health is working on addressing this concern.
“Should they want to take the overtime that we welcome them, but if they do need the rest, we also encourage that they have rest because we are mindful of the fact that our staff need adequate rest in order for them to continue the next shift.”
Dr. Lalabalavu assures the public that efforts are being made to recruit more nurses and improve the healthcare infrastructure.
