Practical Nurses’ Day

This day also serves as a reminder to policymakers, at both European and national levels, of the promises they made to practical nurses and our colleagues in healthcare. It is crucial that politicians manifest what they have learnt from the pandemic and develop policies that focus on the challenges of staff shortages. This needs to be addressed from the perspective of safe staffing, of having the right person at the right place.

If we are going to meet the future issues we are facing in healthcare with growing numbers of elderly people, all different occupations in the healthcare sector should be used wisely. Practical nurses should have opportunities to use and develop our professional competence in the healthcare sector and be paid and praised for our vital work. We need better working conditions so that we are able to work full-time without risking our own physical or mental health, and we need to be paid a proper wage.

To strengthen the healthcare sector for the future, investments are needed not only to solve staffing shortages but also to adopt new technologies and sustainable solutions, so that healthcare professionals can devote their time to the important patient work we are the experts of. Long-term investments are necessary to ensure universal access to healthcare all over Europe and to prevent the emergence of “health deserts” where people lack access to adequate healthcare services.

Health care is a human right and a public good. Health is not a commodity that can be traded. Only a public sector with enough qualified personnel and proper equipment can protect us from future crises, whether they are pandemics or other types of crises.

Today we celebrate the practical nurses in Europe for our invaluable contributions to a better healthcare sector, and every day we will be fighting to bettering our working conditions so that we all can have a better future.