Polish doctor and nurses work even over a hundred hours without a break, a report by the National Labour Inspectorate shows.

Last year, the National Labour Inspectorate (PIP) vetted almost 300 hospitals in the whole country. It turned out that 56 percent of hospitals violate regulations concerning working hours.

Every twentieth hospital does not check how long its employees work and over a half does not do it properly. “It is a common practice that during the day doctors do a regular work at hospital wards, then take a night shift and then work at the ward again,” says Teresa Cabala from PIP.

A record holder worked 103 hours nonstop and there were quite a lot of doctors whose shift lasted several dozen hours without a break. Nurses work even longer. The inspectorate discovered that nurses at intensive care were asked to be available for up to 144 hours after their regular work at the ward.

“The nurses sometimes left the hospital but they had to be ready to assist in surgery any moment,” says Teresa Cabala.

“Doctors and nurses who are overworked can be dangerous for patients,” says Longina Kaczmarska, deputy leader of trade union of nurses. The reason why medical staff works long hours are low salaries. “Doctors and nurses take as many shifts as possible to earn extra money and it is unlikely to change,” says Maciej Hamankiewicz, head of the Supreme Council of Physicians. (mg)

Source: TOK FM