AYSEL KILIÇ

İSTANBUL (DİHA) - Nurses who enter to ' International Nurses' day with bulk of increasing problems everyday, emphasize that they came to point which they could not work any more with 52 year old Nursing Law. Emphasizing that they face serious problems for lack of enough staff member, nurses, demand arrangements which will close the deficit of staff and remove sexist perspectives into occupation.

Nurses in Turkey enter to ' International Nurses' Day' with problems waiting solutions for long years. Policies run by government under the name of ' transformation in health' affcet negatively health employees and nurses specifically. This policies which aim to profit from health bring about employment problem of nurses. ' Nursing Law' enacted in 1954 could not be answer to problem of day. Problems like seeing nurses as assistant health personnel, ambiguity about their duty and responsibility, employed in works outside the duty, occupational diseases in the field, high risk of work accident, intensive tempo of working, not advancing in the job, negative approach of society to the job and problems stemming from being female are main problems in this occupation. Making enough emloyment of nurses on permanenet staff, opening day nursery in workplace and making arrangements which expel sexist perspectives into the occupation are a few demands which nurses want to be realised immediately.

' Team concept did not take place in the health field'

Songul Beydilli, chairman of Syndicate of Health and Social Service labourers (SES), who took attention to view point to the nursing and problems nurses have, stated that although nurses carry most of the burden in the health field, they are not given due value. Stating that nurses are subjected to law enacted 52 years ago and the conditions should be improved, Beydilli, emphasized that a nurse is held responsible for all works of medical and technical services, nursing and even organization of cleaning. Expressing that although works of health is work of team, the concept of team in health field in Turkey has not still settled, Beydilli, said that '' There is more a hierarchical structure in the health field like other fields. In the structure which depends on line relationship, the labour of nurse turned to be invisible work labor. Efficiency can not be derived from nurses in health service which is carried out with order-command relationship.

Nurses are employed like 'cleaning staff '

Stating that number of nurses per doctor should be 4 but this number fell below 4 at most times, Beydilli, took attention that with the transformation policies of government in health, nurses are employed as ceaning staff member in health institutions via subcontractor corporations. Taking attention that nurses employed without job security are making the same business as their state personell colleagues but there is huge difference in terms of the salaries and social rights they receive, Beydilli, said that working hours of nurses are so long that a person can not bear. Stressing that extra-working hours are not included in payment, Beydilli, said that a nurse should work over 80 hours to take additional payment.

Nurses face job diseases and work accidents

Stating that because of deficit of personnel ill nurses can not remedy their health problems and could not take illness report, Beydilli, said that another problem of nurses is work accidents. Expressing that necessary precautions are not taken against work accidents and job diseases, Beydilli, said that '' the other problem is that those who had work accident and caught to job diseases are not recorded. This problem is not handled in Socail Securities and General Health Security Law. Although, 7 kind insurance should had been made when state personnell law was enacted in 1965, taking into consideration ınternatinal covenants. Job diseases and work accidents insurance were among said insurances. But no arrangement was made about this in state personell insurance law.''

'' SS and GSS will further victimize nurses''

Drawing attention that privatization first began at health in public services, Beydilli, said that '' because health is a service which should be taken by everybody privatization first began there. Because there is an open market whose consumer is ready. Permanent staff has not been engaged for health field for long years.'' Qualifying Law of Social Securities and General Health Security as 'disaster law', Beydilli, said that increasing age of retirement with new laws will further victimize nurses. Beydilli stated that a nurse over 35 year old can not be employed without work security and said that if they are engaged to job they will be employed with low fee.

Nurses and midwives are exposed to violence in work place

Syndicate of health and Social Service labourers (SES) had conducted a research to highlight violence nurses and midwives exposed to. In the research which draw attention to 37.6 percent of female employees are exposed to violence, 44.7 persent of females exposed to violence are nurse, 42.2 percent is midwife, it is stated that 32 percent of women are exposed to violence from patients and relatives of patients, 22.8 percent from their chiefs, 19.1 percent from their work friends. The sorts of violence are: 50 percent is threat, psychological and economic pressure; 39 percent is insult and verbal harrasment; 11 percent is physical violence.

(ak/db/zd)