In a letter sent to the Board of Directors of the North Alentejo Local Health Unit, the Alentejo Regional Directorate of the Portuguese Nurses Union (SEP) warned of the obligation to provide non-COVID-19 assistance in health centers in the Portalegre region.
According to a press release sent to our newsroom, the scheduling of users to be vaccinated is in question, which is a large number, plus nurses are also required to ensure that the “drive-through” is running.
On the same note, it can also be read that there was no recruitment/promotion of the number of nurses in most health centers and, in some cases, there was a decrease in this number. The union also warns that the nurses are exhausted!
According to the union, it is not possible for nurses to continue to operate in this way, and too little for so much demand, at the expense of providing high-quality, safe care, which increases the unwavering effort of availability, commitment and demonstrated capacity. Nurses’ resilience ‘on edge’.
The situation is unsustainable and will only become more acute, alerts SEP, demands urgent measures, and blames the board for any complications that may occur as a result of nursing staff exhaustion.
SEP is urgently considering accepting more nurses to respond to the health needs of the population.
