EDITOR, The Tribune.

Re: your article the patient must come first. In The Tribune, dated April 12, 2018.

YOUR article started of very well re the Princess Margaret Hospital issues then in one of your last paragraph you made the comment. And I quote:

The Bahamas nurses union was threatening industrial action you said that foreign nurses are willing to work 12 hours shifts. And the nurses are working four on and four off. I must point out to you this is only night duty. All other shift are eight hours shifts.

The 12 hours shift you mentioned was never offered, and was never an option. The nurses were asked to work eight hour shift across the board. All the union is demanding is they be paid a premium for unsocial hours which are late shifts and night shifts.

How dare you say “what a nurse needs to understand - if in fact she is a true nurse. The patients’ needs come first”. Which is true? Nurses know that, and they go above and beyond for their patients.

You also said the hospital should be free to recruit as many foreign nurse as are needed to take care of suffering Bahamian patients. True, but these foreign nurses need a fair shift and to be paid for unsocial hours as well.

All nurses need to be paid properly. You’re sitting back writing this article. I’m sure making a decent salary to take care of your family. But you have not looked for the facts, nor have you spoken to the union president to get the facts. You just write whatever you please about the nurses. Try getting the facts from the president.

Nurses have families too, not only you. Nurses are single mothers. They have bills to pay. When they are out working as on holidays, late shifts, and nights. You are home in your bed. When they are being verbally abused by relatives who leave their loved ones in hospital as boarders. Where are you?

So get the facts right before you sit at your computer to write about Nurses of whom you know nothing about. Talk to a true nurse. Try getting the facts.

HEALTH CARE WORKER

Nassau,

April 13, 2018.