Latest news with #Tash
The Sun
3 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
‘Extended hours sidestep real crisis facing nurses'
PETALING JAYA: While the Public Service Department (PSD) decision to delay the 45-hour work week offers nurses a temporary reprieve, many on the frontlines warn that it skirts the real crisis, namely chronic understaffing, burnout and the long-term viability of the profession. In a letter dated May 28, PSD approved the Health Ministry request to defer implementation of the extended hours until Aug 1. The current 42-hour schedule will remain in place until July 31. For many nurses, the move does little to ease the mounting pressure in wards and clinics across the country. An ICU nurse in the private sector, who gave his name only as Ng, said the focus on working hours misses the point entirely. 'Even 42 hours feels like too much when you're constantly on your feet, managing critical cases. This isn't a desk job. We don't have the luxury of zoning out. We're dealing with lives,' he told theSun. He said the public healthcare system is still reeling from the after-effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, and staffing remains dangerously thin. 'Understaffing is the root of the problem. I know government nurses earning RM4,000 after 10 years on the job. Eight of my friends have already left for better opportunities overseas.' Ng added that management often focuses on performance targets while ignoring the actual workload nurses face on the ground. 'I've worked 14-hour shifts looking after 16 critically ill patients. What looks manageable on paper rarely reflects the chaos in real life. Nurses and patients aren't statistics.' Kanchana Murthy, 25, echoed the sentiment after more than three years in the field. 'Extending hours is not a solution. Most of us are already running on empty. Yes, we need more manpower but stretching the ones already in place won't fix anything.' She said work tolerance varies by individual and longer shifts should never be mandatory. 'You can't force exhausted people to give their best. It's unsafe for patients and it's unfair to nurses.' A 19-year-old nursing student who has completed placements at a private hospital in the capital city said the workload is overwhelming even for trainees. 'As a student, I'm already burnt out. I work alongside full-time nurses and the pace is relentless. I genuinely worry about how the staff cope,' said the student, who only wanted to be known as Tash. He shared his experience at a government hospital, where overcrowding and staff shortages are common. 'Sometimes, there aren't enough beds. One nurse might be caring for 10 patients. Some wards hold up to 60. It's exhausting and unsafe.' Tash said while the government's intention to address shortages is understandable, the approach risks causing more harm than good. 'Longer hours might help with task completion in the short term, but they lead to fatigue and that leads to mistakes. In healthcare, mistakes cost lives.' He pointed out that countries such as Singapore and the Philippines follow the International Labour Organisation recommendation of a 40-hour work week, which offers nurses better balance and stronger mental health support. 'A 40-hour week helps prevent burnout, keeps staff in the profession longer and makes nursing more appealing to new recruits. What's the point of getting more done in a day if we lose people in the long run?' His message was clear: 'Stop treating nurses like machines. We're overworked, underpaid and undervalued. 'At the end of the day, we're human and we deserve to be treated that way.'
Otago Daily Times
08-05-2025
- Automotive
- Otago Daily Times
Kyle's first winning drive family affair
Natasha Kyle's first win in the sulky with Tash's Bad Girl was just about perfect. The victory came at her home track, behind a horse named after her, and she produced a pinpoint drive to break through for win No1. To top things off, her immediate family, who bred, own and train the pacer, were all at Winton yesterday to cheer her on. "It was a huge thrill. It was an unbelievable feeling. I sort of didn't know what I was feeling as we crossed the line," Kyle said. "It is definitely something I have dreamed about for a long time, so to do it felt pretty unreal." Tash's Bad Girl is trained by Kyle's father, Alister, who bred and races the mare with his wife, Vicky. Kyle's sister, Maddie, was at Winton with the rest of her family to cheer home Tash in her first victory. "It was definitely special having the family there. Dad shed a few tears and so did Mum." Kyle juggles her new career in the sulky with her full-time job as a teacher aide at Hillside Primary School in Central Southland. The junior driver's first victory also serves as a reward for her dedication to harness racing. Before heading off to school, Kyle pitches in at her father's Winton stable alongside the rest of her family. "There are definitely some early mornings but I love it so that makes it a lot easier." Kyle has made a flying start to her driving career, placing in three of her six drives before winning drive No7 yesterday. The reinswoman is keen to take more outside drives as her career progresses, and she is hoping to get her own horses out on the track soon. "I have a couple I own so I would really like to drive them at the races." Kyle has taken over the driving of Tash's Bad Girl from father Alister and the pair have not finished further back than third in four starts together. The junior driver admitted she's only given her father a little bit of stick about her great form behind the mare. "Everyone else has given him a bit of stick. I have maybe a little bit. "But he has driven her for a long time and he knows what she is capable of." Junior drivers were in outstanding form at Winton. As well as Kyle, Dan Anderson, Hayden Douglas and Seth Hill were in the winner's circle, the last notching a winning double.
