Conor D McGuinness: Nurses Deserve Respect and Safe Staffing

Today on International Nurses Day we recognise and thank nurses working across every part of our health service and at every stage of life. We think of those nurses in our hospitals and GP surgeries and communities, public health nurses, addiction nurses, mental health nurses, intensive care nurses, palliative care nurses, paediatric and geriatric nurses, those working in disability services, cancer care, maternity care, health promotion and the blood transfusion service. And Irish nurses have earned a reputation across the world for excellence, professionalism and compassion, and that's a source of enormous pride for this country. My own aunt Stephanie worked as a nurse and a midwife for much of her life. She cared for patients here in Ireland, but also in many areas affected by war, famine and insecurity, teaching nursing and midwifery in some of the largest and worst refugee camps in the world. And today on International Nurses Day I think of her and I think of all those nurses who have been attacked, all those healthcare workers in health facilities that have been attacked, particularly in Gaza but also in the West Bank and Lebanon as Israel embarks on its genocide. Today is also an opportunity to recognise the international character of modern nursing in Ireland. So many nurses working in our health service have come here from every corner of the globe and we're deeply grateful to every nurse from Ireland and beyond who cares for people here with dignity, skill and humanity. But gratitude alone is not enough. If we truly value nurses and nursing then we must ensure safe staffing, fair pay, decent and safe conditions and affordable housing. We must tackle the burnouts, the exhaustion and the unsafe workloads. The figures from the INMO are deeply, deeply worrying. Too many nurses report unsafe staffing levels, serious stress and pressure to work additional hours. Many are considering leaving their workplace or leaving their profession entirely and I think that speaks to the compassion, the dignity, the discipline of nurses, that when they're asked to do more they tend to do more. Until they hit that one they can do no more for no longer. And that is not sustainable for workers or for patients. Also as we're speaking here I want to express solidarity with their colleagues in the National Ambulance Service. These are workers, paramedics taking industrial action today, paramedics and advanced paramedics, AMTs who are providing extraordinary frontline clinical care under immense pressure and they deserve proper staffing too, they deserve recognition too and meaningful engagement from government. But in conclusion, nurses, no more than paramedics and the rest of their colleagues in the health service, nurses are essential to society and essential to humanity. They deserve action, they deserve fairness, they deserve protection and they need acknowledgement. And if it boils down to one word, it's respect. Because gratitude and platitudes are easy, but respect costs. For more UN videos visit www.un.org