WOMEN SLAVES IN GAMY OF PUBLIC SERVICE

NZ Truth, Issue 1149, 8 December 1927, Page 1

WOMEN SLAVES IN GAMY OF PUBLIC SERVICE

HOW- OUR . N^^^RE .TREATED MANY SICK SISTERS IN CJMSTCHURCH REVEAL DISGRACEFUL CONDITIONS OF NOBLE PROFESSION THE FACTS WILL HAVE TO BE FAbED IN JUSTICE TO STAFF

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WHERE are they to be found? In the big public hospitals, dressed m the honorable of nurses and — splendid women of good upbringing and education who are dedicating their lives to the sick and suffering, 1 ."■■' And yet, the highest : status their masters— the hospital . boards— can give them is that of a slave. To this level has our hospital system sunk. Facts speak for themselves, and facts alone warrant the assertion that hospital boards, m the aggregate, so far as the treatment of their nurses is concerned, are nothing short of slavedrivers, whip m hand, who are forcing the utmost service out of these women with scant regard for their health, recreation or happiness. The Christchurch Public Hospital is a case m joint, and what has been happening there during the past morfth or so is striking evidence that there is something radically wrong somewhere. .. Nurses have, .been collapsing > ;undep..,till-bealth on^.a (wholesale , ''seale;#ouhg , houifij^iurgeons have?;? /.' b^>;ri< ijfaefiani.n gj)^ lfth . d i sq u iet l n gf ■■<■' $Yf|iequeVjcy, arid the- position has be- " Ycpftie^such' that the board, at a recent meeting displayed no little . uneasiness over the whole situation. x ■ ' ' i It was reported 'at the meeting that some 17 .nurses were down with illness, and that, m consequence the one day a week holiday system had largely broken down— a polite way of saying that the. nurses remaining on duty were being worked, harder than ever. While, the number of nurses whose health ' had given way ra?as computed , at IT, opinion was expressed by at least one member that the total num- , ber was , ; nearer 5 25, a view,, however, which was challenged. Some of. the reasons lassignedf on the collapse of '" so many nurses were:

Overcrowding m some of the wards and overwork. The latter did ( not meet with popular approval when voiced by some of the members. Anything but overwork, chorused the majority round the table. Pained expostulations, pious expressions of a heart welling with sympathy and consideration for : the nurses, and indignant assertions that if the opposition to the nurses' home project had not baulked the scheme the nurses would, to-day, be m better case — these were the guns which fired the smolje-bombs of camouflage and put up a screen which was calculated to hide the real position from the public.

Report "Adopted"

And, needless j to add, nothing was done to remedy the situation. The board indulged m a good deal of acrimonious discussion, and concluded by adopting the report which announced the wholesale casualties among the nursing staff.' There the . matter stands and is likely to stand. The' board may be satisfied to allow present conditions to continue, but the public of Canterbury do not view the matter from the somnolent perspective of the hospital controllers. ' On the nursing staff, no less than on the medicar,~rests the . whole question .of -,efflcie.h;c#-Qf treatments . -„- ..,.'; l . '^SlaW-lMAtetf^htir^es;.: ;s.WeMeja- >and. harried as they if eXtyiffetfedfroni ward' to ward with nerves on edge, mean that inevitably -the patients must /suffer, and once this is allowed to happen, public confidence m the hospital is shaken to its foundations. Members, of the board may talk as glibly. as they like about the eight-hour working day for nurses. On paper, eight hours look very nice and comfortable, but nursing is arduous and nurses have often to work much longer than eight hours m order to conform to the rule that their work must be completed before they go off duty. i Members of the board may also brush aside the suggestion of overwork, but. they cannot hedge the ,facts which are a scathing indictment.of the whole hospital system. For overworked the nurses undoubt-

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Christchurch Representative.) TT is the proud boast of this Dominion that the conditions under which the people work represent the last word m democratic emancipation. The terms: "Sweat-shop" and* "Slavery" are ruled right out of the vocabulary, but that does not alter the fact that m New Zealand to-day there are many slaves — and women at that — toiling m the galley of public service.

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edly are — shockingly overworked — as every patient who has studied the situation at first ' hand will agree. Not only are their duties hard and onerous, but m many cases they call for iron nerve m nauseating circumstances. All kinds and conditions of cases are placed m their care. They have to nurse m, wards where orders lead them, and some of the cases young nurses come m contact with m the male, wards are a tax on the strpngestY

There can be no fine distinctions under the present system. A man may be ibrought m suffering from the effects of delirium 'tremens; alcoholic po'soriing may beYhis trouble with all Its obnoxious symptoms. Such a patient may be inclined to violence and the most disgusting habits, and until, and if, he becomes a proper mental case, thus qualifying fpr

removal

"an-

other place," the young nurse has to

put up' ,with him. „ ■ . ■ ••; y ■■ ■.:■•■ .•> 'And then :what~ M some Of .the penile 'jpatietim^ho^iriuimMWfiases am most difficult, distressing ancl positively Revolting m their symptoms ?\ . , Such patients are-* not infrequently violent and abusive iri their language, not to say cantankerous and exceedingly difficult to manage. It may be argued that no nurse can qualify without such experience. The logic of such a contention cannot bechallenged, but such experience can/be gained just as readily m the women's wards. However, this is merely to prove the strenuous nature of. hospital nursing when done conscientiously: , No task is too great to be thrust upon these young women. Washing and dressing patients,' administering medicine, running round at the behest of doctors and sisters, serving meals, makingY a .patient more comfortable, here and soothing sorne fretful one

Experience!

there: answering a host \ot questions bombarded at her from all quarters of the ward, and m between listening to the whining complaints of some irascible old man who thinks he is the only, patient m hospital. .'■-..■ And over and above all her trials* tribulations and fretted nerves a -pleasant smile is expected of her to brighten the ward and 'hide her

feelings and the agony of racked muscles and physical exhaustion.

j .Such is the lot of the hospital nurse, the slave of a system' which, m the opinion of VN.Z. Truth;" is all wrong. It is no wonder that their ' health breaks db^vn; it is no subject for .surprised amazement that so. many young nurses suffer from nervous breakdowns. '.. Their job is such that, only the £ strongest of women can stand up to i,t ... ' ' indefinitely, and that it should be so is a disgrace to - , ....; ; ,. hospital .:, r: -■:■■ ■-.■-■•"iY "''■-^ ■'■& Titration* ■/"■ s*fyi yy'l :■■ What 'the'; nurses are 'experiencing; In' the i ;.•■ ;Christeh!urch Hospital vis riot Peculiar , to IHat-institutioh- alotie.

Similar conditions apply m most public 'hospitals- throughout ■ the country, and the wonder is that any well-educated young women to-day can be induced to- enter, the galley' of slavery into' which nursing, m public hospitals has degenerated. '•■'■.'. •',.■ That there are still- young women who are actuated by the finest ideals of ..public service m their choice of nursing as a profession is a tribute to the sex, but the scandal is to be found m the wanton exploitation of those high ideals of service by parsimonious and unsympathetic hospital boards. '-, For exploitation there undoubtedly is.. Nurses to-day are treated m a manner which no mistress, would dare to -mete out to the commoriest menial servant m her employ.

The pay is meagre 'and wholly inadequate and the conditions under which nurses are forced to work are little short of a public disgrace.

All the evidence points to overwork. The Canterbury board cannot lightly escape the' issue by airy denials that they are "sweating" the nurses. The breakdowns that occur m the health Of these women from time to_ time speaks for itself. . . . •

There has also ,beeh considerable dissatisfaction among .the house surgeons of late m Christchurch; Resignations have been corning into

Surgeons, Too

the board-room with unwonted regularity, and .the board bitterly v corrir plain that one young doctor Yeft at two. days' notice. It will not help the board to. complain, and take on the injured .air, m grappling with this • problem.. They must know that other boards' are paying higher- salaries to house surgeons than they are paying, and while such is the case they cannot grumble, if young doctors leave Christchurch to, better their positions;; '.-. But the doctors' can well be left to look after thehis"el^es. .' With the. nurses the position is different. ' "N-Z. Truth" .doe&rfrioti;Sjiggest!^th'at i : theYn,urses m ' the' Chris.tehu^n^'HpST; • pltal '• .^iS^iitesLi^Wl^^^P^^^S^l^^'better; than ntifsesYiif 'o^'her liofppjs. Y . .'lt'. has long been a ''matter., forYpiibijc comment that the nursing profession m New ; Zealand, is the. hardest and most ill-paid 'any woman can choose. : This is a-' fact which is, generally admitted, but the position m the Christchurch institution, as indicated by the number of < nurses y recently reported sick, :merely' emphasizes how unsatisfactory the general position is. The time is lontj overdue for drastic reforms so far as nursing staffs are' concerned. ; The hospital boards can remedy it, : and- 'if the necessary power'for comiplete reform is \ not theirs, then it is up; to the boards .throughout -NeSvZeai .land' to bring pressure to bear upon the Health Department and'seeto' it ; that.'the means are ' provided 'to '• enable'

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cpntrollin^ bodies to ibring their hospitals up to date and elevate the nursing staffs above the level of. galleyslaves. .What is' wanted — and wanted" badly — J is a thoughtful and exhaustive.consideration of the whole' problem, and m order to give boards a lead, "N.Z. Truth" makes the following suggestions: (i) All cases, particularly . some types of medical cases with distressing symptoms, should be classified and centralized m certain wards. (2) The female nursing staff should be augmented by a number of trained male nurses, or attendants, to do the lifting of male rpa<tients and other arduous or unpleasant duties i connected with certain distressing cases of disease. (3) Hours on, duty should not exceed six, , and if necessary the i staff should be increased to permit of this. (4) Every nurse should be allowed one clear day off each week, no matter what happens. * (5) Good accommodation, recreation and Ji&ilth should the ppigs&& i&hir' of boards' fro^ta the -point of view of efficiency 1 , if for no pther leafcon, and a cleAi'-CUt policy Should be followed'to that end. (6) All petty, needless and impracticable rules and regulations should be abolished, as these cause more dissatisfaction than is good for the efficient working of the hospitals. (7) Nurses should be treated like decent women, and not "sweated" like galley slaves. This last suggestion really covers everything, and if adopted would automatically bring the .othei^ suggestions given into operation. it the hospital board 'in Christchurch will take the lead and sire its nurses a square deal the effect on efficiency will soon be noticed, and nursing as a profession will receive the, fillip which it is badly m need of at present.