‘People are suffering’: ICU nurse says staffing shortages at hospitals are getting worse – CTV
Aug. 2, 2022
Nearly two-and-a-half years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, one front-line nurse says emergency rooms are stretched thin amid constant staffing shortages.
“Things are worse now. And I don’t think the general public understands how difficult it is to be a patient or a nurse right now,” Birgit Umaigba, an intensive care unit nurse based in Toronto, told CTV News Channel on Monday.
Several hospitals across Ontario announced this weekend they’d be closing temporarily closing or reducing services in their emergency rooms and ICUs due to the ongoing staffing crunch.
Since the start of the pandemic, nurses across Canada have faced long working hours with little time for breaks and vacation.
“It’s difficult for patients who have to wait hours in the emergency room just to be seen, let alone be treated,” said Umaigba. “People are suffering — staff and patients alike. It is very challenging right now.”
