Medical workers in protective gear work at NHIS Ilsan Hospital, a medical facility only for patients infected with the new coronavirus, in Goyang, northwest of Seoul, on Dec. 22, 2021. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — More than half of the nurses who have experienced the excessive workload caused by the pandemic considered changing jobs, the state human rights watchdog said Thursday.
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea conducted a survey of 1,016 nurses, 57.5 percent of whom considered changing jobs while carrying out duties related to COVID-19.
The poor working conditions further encouraged the nurses to change jobs.
Among the respondents, 58.9 percent said they weren’t guaranteed the time to rest, despite break time being stipulated in regulations.
Another 77.3 percent of the respondents said they had experienced having to work despite poor health within the previous 12 months.
Roughly two-thirds were subject to verbal, and physical violence from patients, while 29.3 percent said their family members or themselves were subject to discrimination or criticism.
The majority of the respondents pointed to the “constantly changing workflow” as the most difficult part of dealing with COVID-19, followed by the “uncertainty of not knowing when COVID-19 and its related tasks will end”, “complaints from patients and their guardians” and “lack of cooperation from patients in quarantine.”
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
