For nurses who did not go overseas seeking for better employment, it may not be a merrier Christmas for them this year. This has become apparent in a petition presented to the King this week for a pay raise.
But it is not just for better pay the nurses are petitioning for; they are asking for better working conditions, in fact better management of their time and work shifts at Vaiola Hospital, Tonga’s main hospital and clinical service center.
Some of the nurses left their assigned duties at Vaiola to join others in marching to the Palace Office to present their petition to the King.
The government however has viewed the nurses exercise of their right to petition the King, as a “protest”, something apparently the Health Minister was not aware of!
Minister of Health, Dr. Saia Piukala, told a press briefing that the “hospital was left short staffed due to the protest.” He said, “It caused problems at the hospital, and they had to run around to find nurses to fill in this morning.” But he also acknowledged the nurses returned to work after presenting their petition to the Palace Office.
He said he was not aware the nurses had gone to the Palace, and it took him by surprise. This goes against the fact that the nurses tried to make contact with the Minister in the morning they were to present their petition, but he was not available.
The decision to present a petition to the Palace Office came as a result of the failure of talks the nurses have had with the Health Minister and his CEO of Health, Dr. Reynolds ‘Ofanoa, concerning their request for a pay raise.
Matron Akesa Halatanu led the nurses as they marched to the Palace Office on Wednesday morning, December 20, to present their petition to the King. Going with a petition all the way to the King was an indication that the ruling executive government has been unable to resolve the problems facing, not only nursing in particular, but the whole health system at Vaiola Hospital.
The problems that culminated in the nurses’ protest and petition this week did not happen overnight. These were problems with lack of resolutions that have been built up over the past 2-3 administrations. The nurses’ shortage, lack of pay, and poor working conditions at Vaiola Hospital have been talked about for a number of years.
“The nurses and other workers at the hospital have experienced burnout resulting in a huge decline in the quality of service needed for the country; and this includes not just the nurses but also cleaners, cooks, drivers, and security,” President of the Free Wesleyan Church, Dr. Tevita Havea wrote to his fellow church leaders this week about the plight of the nurses.
The letter from Dr. Havea confirmed the poor conditions at the hospital by sharing his own experience as a recent patient at Vaiola. He is also on the Board of Hospital Visitors, together with other church leaders.
He said that what the nurses are complaining about at Vaiola is true. He was there for 4 days as a patient, and he experienced the kinds of service and conditions at the hospital the nurses are wanting resolutions for.
“The nurses have not been looked after well as they try to provide service for the nation,” he said.
One of the sister nurses told Dr. Havea there should be 200 -300 nurses working at Vaiola so that the services can run well. But less than 50% of the staff needed are currently working.
Over 100 experienced nurses have migrated overseas to seek employment with better pay and better working environment. And of those that have left, none regrets their decision because they have not been treated well here in Tonga, according to reports from nurses.
Dr. Havea said that he was told by a nurse that she has been working regularly for 12 hours a day for 9 days; 108 hours in those 9 days. And the shifts, it is reported, are for 12 hours 3 times a day, with only 2-3 workers to care for a whole ward.
“I am not writing you so that we interfere with the responsibilities of the government and Vaiola Hospital, but to confirm the difficult conditions the health services to the country is in; and as Board members (for hospital visitation) we have duties to carry out for patients and workers at the hospital,” Dr. Havea wrote.
He said, “We are conveying the voice of those in need from the health services – the patients and staff. It is more important to take care of their needs than to build garages and hospital parking.”
The FWC President urged his fellow church leaders on how they can help financially those from the health services who need help for this Christmas season.
Many questions linger however as the conditions of the nurses pay and working environment remains unchanged.
Former Minister of Health Dr. ‘Amelia Afuha’amango Tu’ipulotu failed to bring any resolutions to the years of complaints by nurses for their pay and working conditions. She was expected to do something significant as a nurse herself, when she became Minister of Health.
She was the first Tongan to receive a PhD in nursing in 2012; and has been selected to become Chief Nursing Officer of the World Health Organization (WHO) based in Geneva, Switzerland.
Dr. Saia Piukala, a surgeon who also led in public health services, became Tonga’s next Minister of Health in 2022. What is it that holds up work to improve the conditions of pay and work of nurses in Tonga?
Dr. Piukala has been nominated for WHO Regional Director for Western Pacific. He starts in his new appointment on 1 February 2024. He is still Tonga’s Minister of Health until then.
Would this government of Hon. Hu’akavameiliku put their stamp on their reputation as an “achieving government” by doing something significant about the plight of the nurses and Tonga’s health services?
