Enhance the working environment for nurses

Nurses provide the utmost sincerity in serving patients alongside doctors to ensure their recovery, starting from administering medication to providing comprehensive care at hospitals. However, it is saddening that healthcare in the country is running with a shortage of 76 percent nurses compared to the requirement. Moreover, even those who are present, there are concerns about the quality of their service. Therefore, recruitment and proper incentivization of nurses are absolutely necessary according to the demand.

According to the World Health Organization's standards, the ratio of doctors to nurses should be 1:3, meaning there should be at least three nurses for every doctor. In Bangladesh, as per the registration of the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC), there are 1,08,000 registered doctors. Accordingly, the country needs 3,24,000 nurses. However, according to the Nursing and Midwifery Directorate, currently, there are only 42,330 government-employed nurses in the country. Throughout the nation, there are 77,838 registered nurses, which is significantly less compared to the demand. As a result, patients are deprived of the necessary care they require.

Nursing professionals express that compared to other countries, nursing education in Bangladesh lacks a developed curriculum. One nurse is responsible for more than 10 patients, making it difficult to provide quality care even if desired. However, according to experts, achieving professional excellence and responsibility can lead to better healthcare services with currently appointed nurses. In this regard, the Nursing and Midwifery Directorate and the Nursing Council need to play a crucial role.

There are complaints from patients and their relatives regarding hospital services. Nurses often fail to respond even after being called several times, and patients are sometimes reluctant to take medication from them. Such behavior from nurses is unprofessional. Primarily, due to staffing crisis, one nurse has to attend to many patients.
Moreover, the biggest issue is the attendants. Nurses often have to communicate more with attendants than with patients themselves. Due to these reasons, nurses are unable to fulfill patients' needs properly. If one nurse could attend to two or three patients, the work environment would also improve.

According to information from a study published in 2021, 86 percent of nurses in the country are working in unsuitable environments. However, 70 percent of nurses do not receive career advancement opportunities. The pressure of additional work, institutional conflicts, and various other reasons create professional stress among them, adversely affecting their physical and mental well-being.

According to experts, there is a lack of family education in terms of behavior and conduct among nursing students in the country. The profession of nursing should be driven by the goal of service. However, those who are entering this profession in our country often come with the aim of securing a job. Therefore, those who aspire to join this profession can read the biography of the pioneer of modern nursing service, Florence Nightingale.

Before raising questions about the quality of nursing care, it is essential to urgently address the existing deficiencies, just as understanding the nature of this profession is necessary for nurses before entering it. Nursing is unlike any other profession, as it involves matters of life and death. Therefore, understanding the gravity of this responsibility is crucial. So, without producing high-quality nurses, receiving good care is not possible. Moreover, overlooking this issue is not an option; it is crucial to improve the working environment for nurses to ensure quality service to patients.