I am proud to speak on behalf of the nursing profession, who for far too long have been exploited, ignored and victimised. They are given little or no credit for their contribution to the health services but have been forced to accept poor pay, poor working conditions, long and unsocial hours with little or no hope of promotion within their profession. The employment of nurses is one of the scandals of our time, as is evident in the two hospitals in my constituency, St. Joseph's Hospital, Clonmel, and Our Lady's Hospital, Cashel.
In reply to a question tabled by me to the Minister for Health, I have been informed that in St. Joseph's Hospital, Clonmel, 48.3 per cent of the nursing staff are employed in a temporary or part-time capacity. In Our Lady's Hospital, Cashel, 43.7 per cent of the nursing staff are similarly employed. This is nothing short of scandalous. It is a betrayal of an honourable profession. It is a mean, selfish device employed by the South-Eastern Health Board to curtail expenses and enables them to live within their limited budget. However, I must ask why nurses should be the victims, the people on whom the very essence of our health services depends? I must ask what percentage of the administrative staff in the South-Eastern Health Board or in the other health boards is employed in a temporary or part-time capacity? I can say, without fear of contradication, that in no other group of health board employees is so small a percentage employed on a permanent basis. Why should nurses be singled out for this unfair and unjust treatment? I claim that for far too long the nursing profession has been taken for granted. They are suffering from the Minister's indifference to their plight. They are expected to put the vocational nature of their profession before economic or other considerations.
Surely to God we can do better for our nurses than offer them temporary or part time positions, with all the insecurities and disadvantages that go with that. We are giving them no recognition for their years of experience and we are ignoring their specialised skills in such areas as intensive care, cardiac care and above all we are casting aside the extent of the responsibility imposed on nurses by the very nature of their profession. We must not overlook the fact that there have been huge cutbacks in the medical service. The staffing situation is much tighter, causing the workload to increase and extending the amount of strain and stress borne by nurses. I look forward to the publication of a report on Stress in Nursing but I must ask why it has not yet been authorised for publication? Could it be that the contents are so true, that an embargo had to be placed on its publication so that the Department's neglect of the nursing profession could be cloaked?
The dedication and commitment of Irish members of the nursing profession is acknowledged, not alone in Ireland but from Brisbane to Baghdad and from Luton to Los Angeles. Throughout the merciless cutbacks when the plight of patients was highlighted, and rightly so, and the lack of accommodation was being constantly referred to, seldom, if ever, was a word of acknowledgment given to the heroes and heroines in the nursing profession who were constantly in the frontline of the crisis and working with a spirit of unselfishness while haunted by insecurity, battered by departmental and ministerial indifference and grossly underpaid but always putting the welfare of the sick, the aged and the handicapped before personal feelings or considerations.
Many of our female nurses are the sole earners in their households and are willing to work overtime in order to keep their family together and at home. With better conditions and more readily available employment for both spouses beckoning from abroad, contrasted with the insecurity of their positions here and the indifference to their plight, surely this will eventually, if it is not already happening, lead to nurses being a scarce and rare commodity here at home.
A major nursing crisis is predicted in terms of the availability of adequately qualified people, due to the lack of permanent positions offered and the inadequate recognition and reward for their services. The rate of emigration among this profession is very high. During the past three years alone 4,500 nurses have emigrated and they are valued and cherished in their chosen destinations.
When are we as a nation going to learn how to value the invaluable within our society? What nurse today can afford to buy a home of her own on the paltry pay she is offered? Is it not unacceptable that a sister in charge of a ward, responsible for the vast amount of money spent in that ward and carrying a major responsibility, should receive such a paltry income? I claim that the employment of nurses in a temporary or part-time capacity is going on for far too long and it is alarming that that trend is increasing.
I am aware that five or six positions in St. Joseph's Hospital, Clonmel and Our Lady's Hospital, Cashel, have been advertised but this is merely a drop in the ocean; it will do nothing to alter the imbalance but will still leave 43 per cent of the staff in each hospital working in a temporary or part-time capacity. Something better must be offered and I plead with the Minister of State to extend the number of permanent positions being offered to a realistic and fair number.
In relation to those working in a temporary or part-time capacity, I ask the Minister to ensure that they are given some recognition for their years of experience. It is unacceptable that a nurse working in a hospital for six years or more remains on the first point of the salary scale; incremental credit must be offered. If the Minister of State does not attend to this problem he will be faced with a national crisis due to the unavailability of nurses as those nurses will have turned to other shores where their profession, skills and dedication get the recognition and rewards they deserve. The nurses in St. Joseph's Hospital, Clonmel, and Our Lady's Hospital, Cashel, deserve far better treatment from the South-Eastern Health Board. I trust that the Minister of State will give me some ground for hope in his reply this evening.
