According to the Supreme Council of Nurses and Midwives, in less than five years, Poles may be deprived of professional nursing and obstetric care. In seven years, the number of nurses and midwives in Poland may decrease by 54.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Council of Nurses and Midwives launched a nationwide social campaign called “Last shift”.
The aim of the campaign is to make the public aware that in a moment there will be no nurses and midwives, therefore all great medicine, but also nursing care in home conditions or conditions of medical entities will not function – explained in an interview with PAP President of the Supreme Council of Nurses and Midwives Grażyna Rogala-Pawelczyk.
The campaign will be present in the media, conferences and meetings of the nursing community will also be organized. As part of the campaign, signatures will be collected under the petition in the form of a prescription. The petition calls on the government and parliamentarians to take immediate action to develop and implement a community security program for nurses and midwives. Signatures will be collected until November and then handed over to the government.
These prescriptions, social support, will also be a symbol of the great strength of nurses and midwives, and what a great misfortune it will be when they run out – said Rogala-Pawelczyk.
The Supreme Council of Nurses and Midwives presented on Wednesday the report Securing Polish society in the services of nurses and midwives ”.
It shows that after Poland’s accession to the EU, almost 17,5 thousand zlotys were spent. certificates of recognition of professional qualifications of nurses and midwives needed to work abroad. At the same time, at the end of 2014, only 31 nurses who had the citizenship of another EU country were registered in Poland.
The number of nurses per 1000 inhabitants in Poland is 5,4. For comparison, in Switzerland the indicator is 16, Denmark – 15,4, Germany – 11,3, and in Great Britain – 9,1. The NRPiP forecasts show that despite the decreasing population of the Polish society, this indicator will decrease due to the higher rate of loss of nurses than the loss of natural population.
There are regions (…) where this indicator already fluctuates at the level of 3,5 – 3,6 nurses per 1 thousand. residents, which means that a certain group of citizens will not receive support in a moment and will not receive care – warns Rogala-Pawelczyk. According to the nurses, this indicator in Poland should be around 8,8.
The organizers of the “Last Call” campaign estimate that within seven years the number of nurses and midwives in Poland may decrease by 54 thousand.
The vast majority of Polish nurses are between 41 and 65 years of age. The average age in this professional group is currently 48 years, but – according to the forecasts presented on the campaign website – already in 2022, the average age of nurses and midwives in Poland will reach 50 years.
In an interview with PAP, the president of the National Trade Union of Nurses and Midwives, Lucyna Dargiewicz, said that nurses expect, inter alia, determining the necessary number of nurses and midwives in individual departments when contracting health services with the National Health Fund.
The union also requests an additional 1,5 thousand. PLN to the base for each nurse, which, according to the chairwoman, will stop the emigration of this professional group to Western countries.
On Wednesday in the Sejm, Deputy Health Minister Cezary Cieślukowski, who is responsible for the department of nurses and midwives at the Ministry of Health, announced that on June 9 a meeting of nurses with the management of the ministry is to be held.
More information about the campaign can be found at www.ostatnidyzur.pl.