Nurses cry out, walk-out at Southern Regional Hospital

The majority of the nursing staff at the Southern Regional Hospital staged a walkout this morning to protest deplorable working conditions and inadequate remuneration.

by Marco Lopez

DANGRIGA, Stann Creek District, Mon. Feb. 20, 2023

Seven months ago, medical staff at the Southern Regional Hospital (SRH) staged a protest which led to discussions with, and assurances from, the Ministry of Health and Wellness. They were promised that issues of concern would be addressed. But this morning seemed like déjà vu when nurses decided to once again walk out – saying that no progress had been made since the last meeting with ministry officials and management.

The low morale of the skeleton staff at the regional hospital, coupled with the dishearteningly low financial compensation package for their tireless work, has again pushed nurses from the SRH to protest working conditions. These nurses are once again raising their voices with the hope that some resolutions to long-standing shortfalls would be addressed and improvements to the hospital’s general operation take place.

They shared during a livestream video this morning that many of their colleagues have left the hospital due to the untenable working conditions, low pay, and high taxes, and claimed that the handful of nurses seen protesting this morning were actually all the nurses presently on staff at the hospital.

The institution is mandated to handle cases from across the southern region of Belize, which includes Stann Creek and Punta Gorda. Despite this, one nurse shared that limited bed space and medical staff have resulted in a team that is constantly stretched thin.

These issues are longstanding and are the subject of complaints across the public healthcare facilities in Belize. While the lack of medication, supplies, and staff are immediate concerns that inhibit the work of medical professionals in Belize, the issues of lack of proper compensation and victimization of nurses have now been brought again to the forefront by SRH medical staff. They shared that they also stand in solidarity with medical professionals across the country in calling for the reinstatement of the increments for public workers that have been frozen since 2020.

“Like everything weh we di say di goh through one ear and di come out through the next,” Bessie Maradiaga, a registered midwife at the SRH, said during the live video. “We need people to listen, listen, listen, because da meeting after meeting! We need better management because wi hospital have to run properly,” she added.

They said that nurses, some of whom are expected to work 60 hours a week, bear the brunt of the blame for any issues that arise with patient cases. They oftentimes receive write-ups and complaints and are treated as if they are dispensable, one nurse said. She said that the policy of the 12-hour shift is resulting in more lost lives.

“It is well-known, internationally known, that you cannot have nurses – people taking care of other people – and having them in conditions that they are tired. Twelve hours for three years is ridiculous. The only reason why they refuse to put back the 8-hour shift is because in that way now they can’t thief mi money; it is standardized that way,” one protesting nurse said. “Many nights I cry yah. Many times we di cry fi patients caa we feel something could have been done better; but with two hands, there is only so much we can do,” the nurse said.

The nurses are taking this stand, once again, to hopefully get the long-needed improvements to the regional hospital. “We inna crisis, basically, and the world nuh know, because they hide everything, they cover up everything; but we deh out yah fi make the world know that we want a better hospital for our community. We need all the help we can get. We are a regional hospital; we cover the entire south, so the patient load is overwhelming for … you could count the hand-full of nurses out here right now,” Maradiaga said.

They are calling for government personnel and management to hear them out, and take action, adding that these protests will go on if necessary. “This da just the first of it, ‘cause we wahn come out yah if we have to come out every day fi make something happen for our patients, which is our priority, we wahn do that,” Maradiaga said.

The nurses believe that at its current capacity, the hospital is not suitable to meet the needs of Dangriga and its surroundings, much less the cases that come from Punta Gorda. “Southern Regional Hospital, which is the regional hospital, I am supposed to take care of the region. Meaning Punta Gorda is also included in this region – Southern Regional Hospital. With that I have only 3 observation beds; I have 1 doctor at my emergency at any given time; I have 1 gyne [gynecology] bed, 1 trauma bed; and for whatever reason, we see multiple trauma; all the nurses from the hospital have to come to A and E to assist. So, if baby di born back deh, we di call midwife, we di call surgeon, we di call everybody to assist at our little emergency; when in fact my emergency could be adjusted to accommodate the amount and growing population of the southern region. Because if that’s the case, and this hospital has to be responsible for PG and Dangriga, we di say that the hospital is not big enough for Dangriga,” one of the protesting nurses pointed out.

One man from Punta Gorda, whose son needed an ultrasound, was told that he had to go to Belmopan for treatment – after being sent from the Punta Gorda Hospital to Southern Regional. None of the facilities had a working ultrasound machine. “My son has to go way to Belmopan right now, and I have to take that money out of my pocket to send him there. Minister, they really need to look at these things carefully; and I do agree with you all nurses, you have been working for so many hours with little pay, and at this present time the cost of living …,” the PG resident remarked.

We made attempts to reach out to the administration of Southern Regional Hospital, but their listed phone number rang off the hook and went to voice mail multiple times.