Wanted: doctors & nurses
New Zealand Listener|July 23 - 29, 2022
It was not especially surprising when Minister of Health Andrew Little recently resisted using the word “crisis” about the present condition of the health system. Governments are traditionally reluctant to acknowledge the c-word on their watch, even when everyone else is saying it.
RUSSELL BROWN
Wanted: doctors & nurses

And perhaps Little has some sort of point: our hospitals were spared the outright nightmare that some other countries experienced in the first year of the pandemic, when there were no vaccines or antivirals. Late last year, a World Health Organisation paper estimated that the Covid death toll among healthcare workers globally was between 80,000 and 180,000.

It is also true that there is a global shortage of nurses and doctors. As the Financial Times observed recently, the WHO declared a staffing shortfall of nearly six million nurses even before the pandemic. Since then, alongside those who have, unthinkably, died on the job, many more have succumbed to burnout and left their professions.

A report from the McKinsey consultancy last year found that a third of nurses surveyed in the US, UK, Singapore, Japan and France said they were likely to quit within the next year. A more recent McKinsey report, focusing on the US, estimated that America would be short of as many as 450,000 nurses – or between 10-20% of the required number– by 2025.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM NEW ZEALAND LISTENERView all
First-world problem
New Zealand Listener

First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Applying intelligence to AI
New Zealand Listener

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Nazism rears its head
New Zealand Listener

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Staying ahead of the game
New Zealand Listener

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Grasping the nettle
New Zealand Listener

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Hangry? Eat breakfast
New Zealand Listener

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Chemical reaction
New Zealand Listener

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Me and my guitar
New Zealand Listener

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Time is on my side
New Zealand Listener

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

time-read
7 mins  |
September 9, 2024
The kids are not alright
New Zealand Listener

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024