‘They are lying!’ Hospital worker says over 20 nurses on strike
By Fitsroy Randall, BVI News Staff
A senior worker at the Dr D Orlando Smith Hospital has blasted management of the medical facility for ‘lying to the media’ about the ongoing strike involving nurses from the emergency room.
The source, who requested anonymity, said the nursing staff sent documents to hospital officials about the reason for the silent protest that started days ago. The senior worker further said the hospital’s management is misleading the public with claims that the reports of a sickout are false.
“I can tell you for a fact that as recently as yesterday the team met with the Minister of Health [Carvin Malone] and the Premier [Andrew Fahie] regarding this ongoing saga that persons choose to pretend to the media it’s not happening. There’s supposed to be a follow-up meeting on Thursday. The meeting was just to bring them up to speed on what was happening, and the actions taken,” the source told our news team.
The nurses’ letter to officials
BVI News obtained a copy of the letter reportedly written to senior management at the BVIHSA. This letter — dated February 6, 2022 — lists several grievances that resulted in the industrial action.
The letter was addressed to the Director of the BVIHSA Board, Moleto Smith, the Director of Nurses, Pearla Sylvester-Thomas, the Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Angelina John and the Acting Human Resource Manager Ishma Edwards.
The letter states that the nurses wanted to discuss and resolve several pressing matters which included “overtime pay, risk allowance, staff burnout, low staff morale, a culture of disrespect from senior management, racism, payments of increments, uniforms, stagnant pay, unsafe staff-to-patient ratios, lack of recognition, lack of supplies to protect staff and patients, lack of staff facilities and unsafe working conditions”.
Emergency room unsafe
The source told our news team that the matters listed in the letter were discussed with Minister Malone and Premier Fahie and indicated these were the main reasons behind the emergency room nurses absence from the hospital.
He also indicated the emergency room is currently an unsafe place because the current nurses filling in at the emergency room are untrained. The senior worker said the management is putting everyone at risk by not addressing the matter and continuously lying to the public.
“The management of the hospital has been missing in terms of addressing the action and it is putting the public at risk because they are trying to move nurses who are not trained to put them in the emergency room because all the staff are out sick since Friday. They are not trained in emergency nursing. They are regular nurses from the ward that they are trying to patch up the area with,” the source said.
“The management of the hospital has not met with this staff in relation to this impasse. The disrespect continues and that’s half of the reason why the staff had to take action because no one has been listening up to now. The Director of Nursing has disappeared, she is nowhere to be seen or heard and she hasn’t reached out in any way either,” the source added.
More than 20 nurses out
The senior worker further noted that more than 20 nurses are out, and it is not one or two as the management of the hospital wants the public to believe.
“If persons continue to lie every day, we will show them in a day or two that since they are no strikes ongoing, then you will see the faces and hear the voices of the persons behind the strike,” the staff member said.
He said the nurses do not want to cross any lines but at the same time, they are hoping to reach a solution to the problem and have their concerns addressed properly.
Denying strike on record
Just this Sunday, the Health Minister explicitly said in an interview that no nursing strikes were happening. That same day, the BVIHSA made similar statements.
It said: “The BVIHSA can confirm, that it has received no such notification or indication of a nursing protest in the form of a Sickout by members of staff, particularly those assigned to the Emergency Room. As such, the BVIHSA would like to inform the public that up to the time of the posting of this press release, there has been no evidence of such a protest.”
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So why are they/Government lying to the public?
The VIP is a “not telling the truth” regime. They lie too blasted much!
This sounds like the country is in a crisis. Andrew where are you?
Do nit disturb.
At this point this is just foolishness.who are you news sites getting ur information from?A registered nurse during training is rotated in all the department including ICU and ER to work so that he/she can function in any department,so there is no way someone can say theyre bringing untrained nurses to the ER to work.Thats an insult to registered nurses.Is it indeed a condition where some staff are actually home sick because of covid?quite possible.But it makes no sense for ER nurses to be on sick out and is only dem and other staff alone know dey on sick out…what are theyre demands then if they havent made any?….do proper investigations…
You are ignorant in know way shape or form can a nurse who has worked years on an inpatient unit work as well as an nurse who everyday works in the ER. That is why so many different branches of nursing exist you can’t expect a nurse who was passing out medication yesterday to be ready for life threatening emergencies tmr
Ur the ignorant one…like I said anyone who is called a registeted nurse has been rotated and trained in every major department in the hospital so that she can function,now whether the nurse has experience in that area is another story…the nurses on the ward “Passing out meds” also perform life saving interventions…so what are u really tellin yuhself…..if yuh doh know ask somebody nah
I am a clinician in the USA. Nursing is not static. Nurses working in the E.R do. Yes they do administer medication in the E.R. there are many specialties of nursing. Most nurses are equipped to perform many functions/roles.we called them, Registered Nurses because they are qualified Nurses who perform many functions. If your skills are limited than get qualified by taking post graduates courses to improve yourself.
I am from a family of qualified registered Nurses. Nurses rotate from different departments to also learn different skills.Learning is not static.
VIP MUST GO. Not a well rounded gov at all.
Come on people haven’t you realized it yet, that the biggest lier is the government!! And this set is bold with it….SMH!!
Can’tWin is too busy corralling people to get the vaccine, to address the BVIHSA issues….It’s not among his priorities….he has left them in the woods!!
You so Right!!!
As long as you just keep on calling in sick like cowards you are not relevant. Show your faces and go out there in front of the hospital with your posters and strike! Do it right!
FROM THE CEO DOWN TO THE NURSING DIRECTOR ARE LIARS ,AND THE MINISTER OF HEALTH GOT THE IMPRESSION THAT THE SICK OUT IS NOT TRUE ,THEN HE GAVE THE PREMIERE THIS SAME IMPRESSION AND THIS IS HOW THEY LIE TO THE PUBLIC . BUT THE SICK OUT IS REAL ,NURSING AND AUXILLLARY STAFF ARE TIRED OF THESE LIES AND MORE LIES FROM THIS INSTITUTION UPPER LEVEL MANAGEMENT , IT IS NOT FAIR TO US
This sounds much like a personal vendetta from someone who already has a job in the US rather than a strike
You are ignorant in know way shape or form can a nurse who has worked years on an inpatient unit work as well as an nurse who everyday works in the ER. That is why so many different branches of nursing exist you can’t expect a nurse who was passing out medication yesterday to be ready for life threatening emergencies tmr
The World is Watching! Conventional Leadership! Your Government Working For you ! Doing the Norm .Lying in Church and All.We Still Need the Truth about all those people who was Slaughtered like Lambs in That Dump not even a Hospital..
If there is /was a nurses’ strike at this one and only lil hospital on this lil island, it would be be obvious,glaring and completrly obvious to everyone….patients doctors pharmacy,emergency,there wo I ld be no second guessing.
Calling in sick is not a striking!!!!
Either you on strike or you are not.
Lies, Deception, Fraud, Victimization & Corruption from the Top are a few words used that can taint & corrupt the entire organization. When lies are pervasive at work, people can no longer trust each other. When trust is in short supply, workers should be cautious, as one can never know when they will taken advantage of, thrown under & or in front the bus & swindled. When management are dishonest with staff the collapsing organizational trust can render the organization as ineffective. The former *** & NURSING *** are HABITUAL, PATHOLOGICAL, COMPULSIVE LIARS!! It is their nature to hurt, disrespect, manipulate, tarnish & exploit people all for what a POSITION, A TITLE, MONEY & a CHAIR!! They have no reservations about LYING to staff to get what they want!! They are educated yes but their hearts are painted black with no empathy, sympathy & care when it comes to the interest of the staff values unless there’s something to gain!!
I TOLD YOU THAT THE TRUTH WILL COME OUT. TIME IS LONGER THAN TWINE.CAN YOU IMAGINE THE AMOUNT OF OTHER LIES HE HAS TOLD? UNBELIEVABLE !! THIS GUY NEEDS TO STOP FOOLING THE PUBLIC. REMEMBER YOU CAN FOOL PEOPLE SOME OF THE TIME , BUT MOT ALL THE TIME.MR MINISTER , IT IS TIME TO STOP.
@ mr Moleto Smith at PEEBLES, from your radio interview with ZBVI, you come across as another political puppet. And as a distant BVILANDER we know that you are in position for the perks and whatever personal attachments. Let me give you a jonny come lately some first hand info. I worked with a bvilanders activists in the early stages of the pandemic providing meals for the nurses. She did it for the love of country and lots of us humanly and for country assisted her at NO COST. Her objective was met, to provide meals to nurses and eventually the whole hospital. Ilost a few utensils in the process but can replaced. NOT like the then over worked, underpaid nurse. Kudos and I humbly salute her. Feeding those robotics nurse allowed them to work any shift, go home, rest and return to work and a hot meal was always on the job. I have a RN in in Florida and she is still working her butt off in this pandemic, her working routine only allows her (1) one day off and living with a lunch bag with a fresh frozen meals, sleep and that routine continues for six days. The pay and treatment is surpass BVI another reason them aint coming back. The reason why she was born to uncle Sam. Owe the BVI NOTHING!!
Money?,?????
The so-called leader of this foolishness encouraging a handful of people to falsify documents while he comes to work everyday because he doesn’t want his record mess up for his next job. Everybody done know he leaving.