A proposed amendment to legislation on private hospitals has sparked a strong reaction from nursing and midwifery unions, which say it would reduce the minimum nurse-to-patient ratio.
In a joint statement, the unions SEK, PEO, PASYDY and PASYNO expressed strong opposition and concern over the Health Ministry’s intention to amend the Private Hospitals Law, stressing that reducing the minimum ratios does not amount to modernisation, but to a step backwards.
The organisations, which represent nurses and midwives employed in private and public hospitals and health centres, warned that such a change would have immediate consequences both for patients and for nursing staff.
They said a reduction in the minimum nurse-to-patient ratio would inevitably lead to delays in responding to patients’ needs, a downgrade in the services provided and an increase in the already heavy professional burnout experienced by nurses.
The unions described the proposal as a decision that could directly affect patient safety, pointing out that weakening nursing staffing levels could reach a point where human lives are put at risk.
‘A step backwards, not modernisation’
In their statement, PASYDY, PASYNO, SEK and PEO stressed that their shared view is that reducing the minimum nurse-to-patient ratio cannot be presented as a step towards modernising the health system.
On the contrary, they said, it is a development that would further burden an already pressured working environment, with nurses called upon to meet increased needs with fewer available human resources and greater pressure in day-to-day care.
According to the unions, the issue does not concern only the labour rights of nurses, but above all the quality and safety of the care received by patients.
The four trade union organisations said they would stand as a united front against policies which, they argue, lead to a downgrade of the health system and of services to patients.
They also called on the Health Ministry to immediately withdraw the proposed amendment to the legislation and to act with the protection of public health as its sole guiding principle.
The unions’ intervention raises the tone around the proposed change, opening a new round of reactions over whether changes to nurse and bed ratios could affect the quality of care in hospitals.
