— waiting on Public Health Ministry to pronounce on examination papers

ONE month after former Public Health Minister, Dr George Norton had instructed the General Nursing Council to mark the examination papers of some 250 nursing students from both the public and private sectors, who had sat the State examinations on October 18 and 19 last year, the nurses remain in the dark.The student nurses across the country were told on November 11 that the Nursing Council had decided to have them re-sit the examination because it was leaked. Dr Norton’s instruction was by virtue of a directive he said he received from Cabinet, but the Council failed to act.

On Tuesday, several nurses attached to the Georgetown School of Nursing vented their frustration, while seated at Durban Park, Georgetown, after a failed attempt to meet with Public Health Minister, Volda Lawrence.

According to the students, they met with Minister Lawrence last Monday and were asked to wait an additional seven days for a response from her Ministry.
The nursing students explained that they have waited on the minister’s response but to no avail.

On Tuesday, they met with Minister within the Public Health Ministry, Dr Karen Cummings, who pleaded with them for an additional seven days to have the matter sorted.

The students said they have been more than patient with both the Ministry of Public Health and the General Nursing Council and will act accordingly if they receive no response at the end of seven days.

Afresha Hollingsworth, a student registered nurse, told Guyana Chronicle that she is fed up of the situation and the inaction by the Public Health Ministry.
The frustrated woman asked: “What is the Government doing to help us?”
She said in a bid to ensure that there are properly trained nurses in the health care sector, it is necessary for the Public Health Ministry to intervene with urgency.

ANXIETY
“Their inability to make a decision is causing sleeplessness, people aren’t eating, there is no joy in anything because of the instability of our lives. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring.”

Hollingsworth, who was backed by her colleagues, said they have been working on the wards of the Georgetown Public Hospital some six months after enlisting in the nursing programme three years ago.

“They are asking us to work, we are working but how is it that you are going to send nurses who are emotionally unstable to care for patients; how is it we are supposed to just smile and go to work when people call us names and the Government is sitting there doing nothing — we have been fulfilling our clinical hours for the past two and a half years and it is going on to three years that we are being paid $16,000 a month.”

Similarly, Markita Witter believes that mischief is afoot and noted that the length of time taken to investigate the leaked paper is unheard of.

“They claim the exam was compromised but they have no strong evidence the exams were compromised. If the exams were compromised why is it taking so long? It is going on to three months now and all we been hearing is wait seven days, the investigation is still going on, study, study, study.”

Witter noted that if the examination papers were compromised then the student nurses should re-sit the exams once sufficient evidence is produced.
“We need an urgent decision,” the frustrated student nurse said.
She told Guyana Chronicle that student nurses are fearful of victimisation by those who sit on the Nursing Council. She said all those who sit on the Council also lecture to them. “My future is being jeopardised,” stated Witter.

URGENCY
Meanwhile, a vocal Vibert Forde told Guyana Chronicle that they were recently informed that the decision on the matter rests with the Public Health Minister and called on Minister Lawrence to show some compassion and address the matter with urgency, while recognising that she only took office recently.

“The Nursing Council must have ways to deal with leaked papers and other compromises… students are in an emotionally disturbed state and we want the Ministry of Public Health to review the criteria for the setting of these examinations and those who set them…the Nursing Council needs to deal with their housekeeping matters.”

The Nursing Council had announced that all students who had sat the examination would be required to re-sit it because of an allegation that the examination papers were leaked to some of the nursing students.

The decision had resulted in protest from nursing students of the Georgetown and the New Amsterdam Schools of Nursing, the Charles Rosa School of Nursing in Linden, and the St Joseph Mercy Hospital.

An investigation was launched by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) but thus far there has been no word of progress in the matter.

Meanwhile, in a November 15 dispatch to the Registrar of the Guyana Nursing Council, which has been copied to Principal Tutor (acting) Cleopatra Barkoye of the Ministry of Public Health, Permanent Secretary, Trevor Thomas and Dr Norton, Attorney Anil Nandlall reminded the body that the nursing students are on a scholarship contract for three years, and that contract has expired on or about June 24, 2016.

“Currently, the Government of Guyana is in breach of this arrangement. In the circumstances, these students are demanding that their examination papers be marked and the results disclosed. I am to convey to you that, at this point in time, they are unprepared to sit another set of examinations,” the letter stated.
Nandlall, who is representing the interest of the students, called on the Public Health Minister and the Guyana Nursing Council to have the matter amicably resolved in order to avoid litigation.

Attempts to contact the Ministers of Public Health for an update on the situation were unsuccessful.