Medical Workers Risk Lives at Work, Face Attacks on the Way Home
2020-05-06
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1Every night at seven o'clock, New Yorkers step outside their homes to cheer for the medical workers who are treating coronavirus patients.
2Horns from automobiles and police vehicles add to the cheering.
3Some New York restaurants are making meals for doctors and nurses working in the city's hospitals.
4Last week, U.S. military airplanes flew over New York and other cities as a show of thanks to healthcare workers.
5With all these expressions of thanks, reports of attacks on healthcare workers are surprising.
6The World Health Organization, or WHO, and top nursing officials have called on countries to protect nurses and other health workers from physical and verbal attacks.
7They note that these men and women are already making sacrifices in their lives every day to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
8Howard Catton is head of the International Council of Nurses.
9He said that about 100 medical workers are reported to have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
10Many nurses were among the dead. Catton spoke to reporters last week.
11Even before the virus began to spread, many nurses had difficult jobs.
12About 28 million people work as nurses.
13That represents 59 percent of all health workers worldwide.
14Last week, WHO officials, the Nursing Now campaign, and the International Council of Nurses released the first "State of the World's Nursing Report."
15The report says there are not enough nurses in many areas.
16The nursing shortages are mainly in low- and lower-middle income countries, it noted.
17The number of new nurses does not meet the expected needs in many countries, the report said.
18It points to some countries where many nurses are nearing retirement age.
19It said that trained health workers must be ready to do the work of those who have retired.
20The report estimates eight percent more workers will be needed each year.
21Nursing shortages are an issue in many parts of Africa, in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Venezuela, the report added.
22Although nurses make up the majority of all health workers, the report says their value is not recognized.
23It notes that 90 percent of nurses are female, and they are often victims of discrimination in the workplace.
24One surprising fact is that a little over a third of countries - thirty-seven percent - reported measures in place to prevent attacks on health workers.
25Some workers have been attacked during the COVID-19 crisis because people fear contagion.
26A nurse in Mexico reported that someone threw a mixture of water and chlorine at her as she walked home.
27Howard Catton said there have been reports from around the world of abuse of health workers.
28"It is completely unacceptable," Catton said.
29He called for governments to stop such abuse and to make sure that public health messages are clear and fact-based.
30The WHO's Giorgio Cometto said it was a relatively new experience for people to see health workers as a possible risk, "as opposed to being a solution to the current crisis."
31He added that in the current pandemic, it is very important to take the necessary steps to protect health workers.
32Baroness Mary Watkins, chair of Nursing Now, noted nurses have been attacked in the past.
33That was during outbreaks of Ebola and HIV, the virus responsible for the disease AIDS.
34Watkins said "there has been a very, very clear directive from the police in many countries that attacking a health care worker is unacceptable. We need to keep pressure up," she added.
35I'm Jill Robbins.
1Every night at seven o'clock, New Yorkers step outside their homes to cheer for the medical workers who are treating coronavirus patients. Horns from automobiles and police vehicles add to the cheering. 2Some New York restaurants are making meals for doctors and nurses working in the city's hospitals. 3Last week, U.S. military airplanes flew over New York and other cities as a show of thanks to healthcare workers. 4With all these expressions of thanks, reports of attacks on healthcare workers are surprising. 5The World Health Organization, or WHO, and top nursing officials have called on countries to protect nurses and other health workers from physical and verbal attacks. They note that these men and women are already making sacrifices in their lives every day to fight the coronavirus pandemic. 6Howard Catton is head of the International Council of Nurses. He said that about 100 medical workers are reported to have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Many nurses were among the dead. Catton spoke to reporters last week. 7Even before the virus began to spread, many nurses had difficult jobs. About 28 million people work as nurses. That represents 59 percent of all health workers worldwide. 8Last week, WHO officials, the Nursing Now campaign, and the International Council of Nurses released the first "State of the World's Nursing Report." 9The report says there are not enough nurses in many areas. The nursing shortages are mainly in low- and lower-middle income countries, it noted. 10The number of new nurses does not meet the expected needs in many countries, the report said. It points to some countries where many nurses are nearing retirement age. It said that trained health workers must be ready to do the work of those who have retired. 11The report estimates eight percent more workers will be needed each year. 12Nursing shortages are an issue in many parts of Africa, in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Venezuela, the report added. 13Discrimination and attacks 14Although nurses make up the majority of all health workers, the report says their value is not recognized. It notes that 90 percent of nurses are female, and they are often victims of discrimination in the workplace. One surprising fact is that a little over a third of countries - thirty-seven percent - reported measures in place to prevent attacks on health workers. 15Some workers have been attacked during the COVID-19 crisis because people fear contagion. A nurse in Mexico reported that someone threw a mixture of water and chlorine at her as she walked home. 16Howard Catton said there have been reports from around the world of abuse of health workers. 17"It is completely unacceptable," Catton said. He called for governments to stop such abuse and to make sure that public health messages are clear and fact-based. 18The WHO's Giorgio Cometto said it was a relatively new experience for people to see health workers as a possible risk, "as opposed to being a solution to the current crisis." He added that in the current pandemic, it is very important to take the necessary steps to protect health workers. 19Baroness Mary Watkins, chair of Nursing Now, noted nurses have been attacked in the past. That was during outbreaks of Ebola and HIV, the virus responsible for the disease AIDS. 20Watkins said "there has been a very, very clear directive from the police in many countries that attacking a health care worker is unacceptable. We need to keep pressure up," she added. 21I'm Jill Robbins. 22Stephanie Nebehay reported on this story for Reuters. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 23________________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25horn - n. a sound made by a car or truck 26pandemic - n. a disease that has spread over a whole country or the world 27contagion - n. the process by which a disease is passed from one person or animal to another 28chlorine - n. a chemical element 29outbreak - n. the sudden or violent start of something unwelcome, such as disease 30How are medical workers treated where you live? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.