BY STEVEN KASZAB
Local reports are coming in strong throughout the globe, being a medical assistant, nurse, or caregiver can be a very dangerous profession indeed.
Many nurses are facing increased violent assaults within their workplace:
- Racial slurs
- Outright assaults
- Projectiles being thrown at them
- Sexual assaults
- Protests in front of the places they work
- Personal vendetta’s developed between patient and caregiver
Union representatives like CUPE and Unifor have called for the presence of police within the hospital environment, and/or hospital security to be located on each floor to protect their fellow employees.
78% of registered nurses, cleaners, clerical and other staff within the Canadian system have reported to their union representatives about violent or near violent events within their workplace. They have reported being harassed or abused because of their race or appearance. In Ontario, reported race-based violence was surveyed at a 71% level. In northern areas of Canada and USA, hospital workers reported experiences of sexual harassment at a 53% level, while 60% of these workers experienced physical violence from patients, their families and fellow staffers. All the while 65% of staffers have experienced an overall increase of violent incidents during the pandemic.
This of course has increased the overall depression and stress levels these professionals have been trained to deal with during normal times. 28% reported the use of guns and knives against staff. That is a full 10% increase from the national average.
If you look at the region of Northern Ontario, you will find that 1,767 staffers were sexually assaulted at work these past two years. The Premier and provincial government are unable to ignore this situation. The surge in violence against women, much of it racially motivated, comes against a backdrop of unprecedented staff shortages and vacancies in Ontario hospitals. Front line staff are often working alone in circumstances where they are vulnerable to assault. In Kenora’s Lake of the Woods Hospital, the administration admitted to an increase of 300% in staff harassment. The provincial government of Ontario has tried to recruit new RPN’s, but the fruits of their efforts will not be for some time to come.
Patients and those ill are fearful of going to hospital, fearing the toxic environment they may become lost in. Only strict zero policies towards any form of violence and abuse towards the staff can improve the situation, along with the implementation of staff security limits. Installing cameras within all hallways and rooms may be needed also. Staff members should not work alone, leaving themselves open to potential assaults. Institutional policing will certainly become an issue for our struggling authorities.
