Come work 1 night shift to
know nurses’ plight,
senator dares minister
Dr RA Lingeshwaran says studies have shown that the 24-hour shift system has an adverse impact.
Citing three global studies on the impact of the shift system on the workers, especially nurses, Dr RA Lingeshwaran said consideration for working hours and environment are different for those in the medical profession compared to office staff working normal hours from 8am-5pm.
“If the studies I have cited are not enough to convince the health minister and senior officials of the ministry that shift nurses go through tremendous pressure, I invite them to work with me on just one night shift at any of the busy hospitals in Penang to see for themselves,” he said when debating the 2025 budget today.
The former director of the Sungai Bakap Hospital in Penang was commenting on a new circular from the public services department requiring all shift workers in government service to put in 45 hours a week like their counterparts who work normal office hours.
Nurses are only required to work a minimum of 42 hours a week under the current practice.
Lingeshwaran said in the absence of local studies on the issue, he is forced to cite international findings including a British survey that reported nurses who worked more than 40 hours a week had almost twice the risk of making caregiving mistakes and almost 50% higher risk of near misses.
“In terms of safety for our health workers, another study found that both needle prick injuries and medication administration errors were 28% higher among nurses who worked more than 40 hours a week.
“Another study revealed drowsy driving among nurses after work. Two-thirds of nurses reported at least one episode of drowsy driving and about 5% struggled to stay awake while driving home after each shift. About 30% of night shift nurses reported difficulty in working,” he said.
Lingeshwaran said there were also reports of an increase in the incidence of cancer among shift workers reported by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, adding that data and science are clear about the harmful impact of working in 24-hour shifts.
“In view of this, I would like to ask the public service department to limit the working hours of shift workers to 38-and-a-half hours a week.
“This is the exact number of hours civil servants engaged in office hours put in, taking into account the hour-long lunch breaks daily and time off for Friday prayers,” he said.
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