The Nurses Association of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (NASVG) on Sunday acknowledged the completion of works at the Maternity A Unit (Labour Ward) of the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, following serious concerns raised by nurses assigned to the unit in October.
On Oct. 16, nurses working in the Maternity A Unit formally reported to the association that they were operating under unsafe and unhealthy conditions.
“These conditions were adversely affecting their safety, well-being, and ability to provide quality care to mothers and newborns,” the association said in a press statement on Sunday.
NASVG said the concerns included issues related to security, infrastructure, and environmental health and were of such gravity that they required immediate intervention.
On Oct. 16, nurses at the Maternity Ward told iWitness News that they had stopped doing “hands-on work” until the situation where chunks of concrete roof were crashing through the ceiling was resolved.
One of the nurses told iWitness News that the situation developed about two weeks earlier in the area of the concrete roof.
“About two weeks or so ago, the roof fell in, and it’s a concrete roofing, and this piece of debris came through the ceiling,” a nurse had told iWitness News, speaking on behalf of her colleagues.
The nurse said the situation had been reported to the hospital’s administrative, personnel, and maintenance departments.
However, the situation deteriorated the previous night when the on-call nurses heard a crashing sound in the ward.
When they checked, they saw that a pointed piece of concrete had pierced the ceiling and was dangling from the roof.
In response, NASVG acted decisively by engaging hospital management and the relevant authorities, Sunday’s statement said.
The association reaffirmed that safe and healthy working environments are a fundamental right and a non-negotiable requirement for the delivery of quality maternal and newborn care.
“As a direct result of this engagement, meaningful corrective actions were implemented.”
These actions included infrastructural upgrades and security measures that have significantly improved conditions within the unit.
“Nurses assigned to Maternity A have confirmed that these interventions have had a positive and tangible impact, contributing to a safer and more supportive working environment,” NASVG said.
The association said it is satisfied with the progress made to date but emphasised that additional works remain outstanding and must be addressed to fully resolve all identified concerns.
“Nonetheless, the improvements achieved thus far represent an important step toward restoring acceptable working conditions within the unit.”
NASVG also noted that hospital management has initiated efforts to address concerns within the Maternity B Unit, aimed at improving working conditions for both nurses and patients.
“Nurses have expressed strong appreciation for the timely and firm advocacy demonstrated by the Nurses Association of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and have reaffirmed their commitment to continued collaboration with the Association and hospital management to ensure sustained improvements across maternity services,” the NASVG statement said.
President of NASVG, Shelly-Ann Alexander-Ross, reiterated the association’s commitment to advocating for the health, safety, and dignity of nurses.
She emphasized that the association will continue to engage constructively with hospital management and all relevant stakeholders to ensure that improvements are completed, maintained, and extended across all clinical areas, in the best interest of nurses and the patients they serve.