"Deeply disrespected": Frontline worker shares disappointment over hospital protests
A frontline healthcare worker in British Columbia has taken to social media to voice her frustration following Wednesday’s protests.
Labelled as a “World Wide Walkout,” the protests took place in front of hospitals and health service centres simultaneously across Canada. Event flyers, which contained the phrase “My Body My Choice,” stressed that they were meant to reject the mandatory vaccine policies being implemented by different provinces.
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The healthcare worker shared her sentiments on social media, along with a picture of herself in full PPE, explaining the effects that the protests had on her and her colleagues.
“With protesting at our hospital, this is what you have done,” she wrote.
She said that the protests caused some of her nursing colleagues to cry, blocked ambulances from being able to access the ER, and took up parking spots, which reportedly forced labouring mothers and ER patients to walk farther than normal.
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The worker also said that elderly patients were confused due to “loud honking horns” and that family members of critically ill parents were brought to tears.”
“In addition to, hopefully unintentionally, disturbing patients and families trying to survive and heal from illnesses — both COVID and non-COVID — you have accomplished another thing,” she wrote. “You have made us feel deeply disrespected.”
“We were working hard long before the pandemic. We miss out on sleep, emptying bladders, meals, life to serve. Our nurses and staff are stellar — and they are burning out. Morale is low. Tensions are high. Beds are full.”
Although it’s unclear just how many individuals attended the protests, photos and videos shared on social media show thousands of protesters in front of hospitals and health centres — including Vancouver General Hospital.
“We work more than our required time,” the healthcare worker stressed, “because our patients need it. I’m halfway through three weeks of continuous work. I do it because I made a commitment to care for my patients. Often at the expense of my own well-being. Just like my colleagues.”
The post has now gone viral, with more than 8,100 shares as of Thursday morning.
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