The International Nursing Association said today that at least 3,000 nursing staff worldwide have lost their lives due to Coronavirus Infection 2019 (COVID-19). The association warned that the pressure of the Epidemic threatens to breed a mass exodus of health care workers.
On the 1-year anniversary of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) first definition of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, the International Council of Nurses says millions of caregivers are considering leaving their jobs due to physical and mental exhaustion and stress.
Once the pandemic is over, the number of experienced caregivers who can handle the large amount of routine care delayed by the crisis is likely to dwindle.
Care International says the number of nursing staff who are ill is based on data from only 60 countries, and the total number is likely to be far underestimated.
Howard Catton, executive director of the International Nursing Association, said caregivers have experienced “significant trauma” during the epidemic and have been pushed to the point of physical and mental exhaustion.
Catton said there were 27 million caregivers worldwide, with a shortfall of 6 million before the outbreak, and 4 million caregivers due to retire by 2030.
The International Nursing Association reports that the COVID-19 pandemic “threatens to trigger a mass exodus from the profession” and that the global nursing shortage could worsen to nearly 13 million starting as soon as the second half of 2021.
Caton said it would take three to four years of training to produce a novice caregiver, “and we’re in danger.
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