Exhausted Covid nurses demand extra pay

The National Union of Nurses finds it unacceptable that nurses who take care of Covid patients are not paid extra for their efforts.

“Our members are telling us that they work under immense pressure, and this is becoming unbearable for many of them,” says Óluva í Gong, chairwoman of the National Union of Nurses.

The union is calling on the authorities to take the situation seriously and introduce bonuses that match the added risk that these nurses take in their jobs.

Current structure is “unsustainable”

Earlier this week, the Hospital Service announced that it no longer wants to be responsible for Covid testing and vaccinations.

Since the onset of the pandemic, the Hospital Service has been using a great deal of staff resources on testing and vaccinations, and there are no indications that the pressure will wane, says Tummas í Garði, chief operative officer of the Hospital Service.

“It is in our staff’s DNA to go beyond the call of duty, but this ongoing situation is starting to wear them out – not only our frontline workers but staff throughout our entire hospital system are exhausted,” he says.

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“The current testing and vaccination structure was implemented as a temporary solution, and this solution has lasted almost two years now.”

He is calling for a more permanent structure for unexpected situations such as pandemics.

“The Hospital Service exists to help sick people, and most of those who get tested or vaccinated are not sick. We should consider outsourcing some of these services to e.g. GPs and pharmacies, as is being done in many other countries.”

For further information about Covid-19 in the Faroes, including daily figures, visit corona.fo.

Read the Faroese versions of this article here and here.

More Faroese News in English.