Europe’s health workers slam ’empty’ post-pandemic promises – Saudi Gazette

Europe’s health workers slam ’empty’ post-pandemic promises – Saudi Gazette

PARIS — There was no shortage of public appreciation for hospital workers during the pandemic, across the world people stood on their doorsteps and balconies in the evening to cheer on the heroes holding the healthcare system together.

While this gratitude was appreciated at the time, healthcare workers in several European countries now feel like it was an empty gesture, as two years on from the beginning of the pandemic, working conditions have only deteriorated.

“That applause rings very hollow now because it hasn't been followed by action,” said Howard Catton, CEO of the International Council of Nurses (ICN).

European healthcare professionals told Euronews that doctors and nurses are still suffering after the chaos of working through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Christophe Prudhomme, an emergency doctor in Paris, said that the “total disorganization of the health system” put “a very strong pressure on staff”, with doctors and nurses having to wrap themselves in bin bags instead of being provided with the correct equipment.

This logistical pressure led to doctors and nurses having to make difficult ethical decisions, which took a toll on workers' mental health — the impact of which still remains.

The president of the Italian National Nursing Association, Walter De Caro, told Euronews: “There was