An appeal has gone out to nurses in the country to desist from checking social media accounts and chatting with friends while on duty.
This follows increasing concerns from various people on the growing tendency by the nurses who tend not to pay attention to patients because they are busy with their mobile phones.
Speaking during commemoration of this year’s International Nurses Day on May 12, 2022, Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) Vice Chancellor Professor Address Malata said the trend is deteriorating especially among the new generation of nurses.
She said: “This is a very difficult matter at the moment and you see many people complaining.”
“And many times we have also heard cases where they take pictures of patients and share them on social media, this is unprofessional and ethical,” Professor Malata said.
Professor Malata, who was speaking as a guest of honour during the commemoration, said use of smartphones by nurses whilst on duty is negatively affecting the profession.
“So we are pleading, particularly the younger generation of our nurses to say, look, you cannot do that to individuals, to human beings, they need to care.
We are not saying they shouldn’t have a phone, but use it responsibly and more particularly when they are working. They can actually switch off their phone, switch it on when they are off duty,” appealed Professor Malata.
Whilst admitting the emergence of the challenge, President of the National Organisation of Nurses and Midwives of Malawi (NONM) Shouts Simeza said the organisation will strive to address the matter.
“By pledge of service and oath of practice, we are supposed to use phones in a regulated way, not using the phones anyhow.
“So disciplinary measures are supposed to be taking place right away from the facility where we have our human resources officers, they have rules and regulations of practice at the local level possible, so that should be the starting point of checking on our conduct,” said Simeza.
The day has been observed under the theme: “Nurses: A voice to lead – invest in nursing and respect rights to secure global health”.
