Nurses told " Don't fight fire with fire!"

Nurses around the country have been told not to fight fire with fire when dealing with angry or offensive behavior.

Speaking at the 2017 Fiji Nursing Association Annual General Meeting, Health Minister Rosy Akbar says she has heard from patients who have encountered a nurse whose attitude and approach was all too obviously uncaring.

She says she has heard reports of nurses who were rude, abrupt, unhelpful or simply just could not be bothered to take the time to communicate clearly and carefully with a patient.

The Health Minister says in today’s connected world, it is all too easy for an isolated case of poor professional behaviour to be filmed on a mobile phone, posted on social media and shared around the country and the globe in a matter of moments.

Akbar says the sad reality is nurses are all vulnerable to being the next talking point on Facebook which makes it all the more important to always to be aware of how they behave.

She has also called on nurses to work together and not against eachother.

Akbar says she is also concerned that policies that ban the inappropriate use of cameras in hospitals and health centres may not always be actively enforced.

She has also called on all senior nurses to ensure they are followed as patient confidentiality may be at stake.