UAE | Health
Abu Dhabi nurses protest over sackings
Hundreds of nursing staff on Sunday lodged complaints against Al Mafraq Hospital, alleging improper performance evaluation and subsequent threats of non-renewal of contracts, Gulf News has learnt.
- By Rayeesa Absal, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:21 August 17, 2008
- Hundreds of nurses protest in front of Abu Dhabi Health Services Company after receiving notices of termination of employment.
- Image Credit: Ahmed Kutty/Gulf News
Abu Dhabi: Hundreds of nursing staff on Sunday lodged complaints against Al Mafraq Hospital, alleging improper performance evaluation and subsequent threats of non-renewal of contracts, Gulf News has learnt.
The complaints were filed at Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), which manages the capital's public hospitals and clinics.
"Nearly 300 nursing staff have been terminated. We have been told our contracts will not be renewed as we performed poorly in an evaluation exam," said a charge nurse in the emergency section.
She claimed the hospital was not bothered about the quality of patient care.
"Over 250 nurses have been newly-recruited and some of them claimed that they paid Dh30,000 to recruitment agents," she said.
A Somali nurse, who has worked in the hospital for 20 years, said she felt cheated.
"We were made to write the exam using a pencil. Even though we complained, there's no hope of getting justice."
Another problem ahead of the nurses is housing. "Each of us found accommodation for ourselves. The contract, however, was in the name of the hospital. Now they are refusing to change the tenancy to our name. So we are left with no job and no home."
"They are simply retaining us for a few months to train the newcomers. If one complaint had been made against us by a patient let them sack us but that's not the case," said one nurse.
Meanwhile, Al Mafraq Hospital officials dismissed the allegations saying the changes were made after a professional development programme was put in place to improve the quality of care given to patients.
"Nurses were evaluated based on a written exam, delivery of knowledge, work ethics and customer care. As per the results they were grouped into four categories. Only those in group four who performed very poorly were told their contracts would not be renewed," said Dr Mohammad Yaman, medical director of the hospital.
"Out of 800 nurses about 20 per cent of nurses fell in group four," he said.
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