KARACHI: While nurses have a critical role in improving healthcare access and quality, their workforce in Pakistan is highly underpaid and overworked — two key barriers impeding their performance and growth, shared speakers at a seminar held on Tuesday at Hamdard University (HU).

The seminar — Patient Safety: Legal and Ethical Aspects of Nursing Care — was organised by Rufayda Hamdard School of Nursing (RHCN) to mark the commencement of its fourth batch of the bachelor’s programme.

Addressing the audience, Prof Tazeen Saeed Ali from the Aga Khan University School of Nursing and Midwifery and Farah Khan from HU’s law faculty said that, as opposed to the international standard of hiring one nurse for every 1,000 patients, there was only one nurse for every 3,000 patients in Pakistan.

On top of that, they pointed out, Pakistani nurses were generally underpaid and forced to work in “pathetic working conditions”.

“Yet, they are supposed to provide quality care and ensure patient safety. Otherwise, they may end up facing legal problems,” Ms Khan said, adding that nurses faced all kinds of difficult situations, including assault and abuse from misguided attendants and that many such cases had been reported during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The speakers emphasised the need for a standardised nursing curriculum across the country and highlighted the importance of enhancing nursing knowledge and skills.

Nurses, they said, should have the expertise to detect potential cases involving wrong medication or medical errors.

They also explained how various laws and relevant bodies seek to regulate their work.

RHCN’s Principal Alia Nasir shared that she had applied to increase student enrolment in her college and hoped that her application would be accepted.

She agreed that nurses often had to face near-impossible situations, yet they were expected to carry out their work in an ethical and legal manner — a particularly difficult task.

In his remarks, Advocate Zia Awan, also the chief guest, acknowledged the important role nurses play in healthcare settings across the world while regretting that staff in this noble profession is deprived of due status and respect in Pakistan.

He offered to set up a nationwide helpline where nurses, as well as patients or their attendants, could report their complaints.

“It’s unfortunate that the fundamental human right to safe healthcare isn’t adequately protected in the Constitution,” he said, adding that the punishment for drug adulteration was only six months’ imprisonment and a Rs3,000 fine.

He endorsed the call for a uniform nursing curriculum in the country.

Advocate Anwar Ahmed, Prof Dr Raza-ur-Rehman of HU and senior nurse Shabbir Jathial also spoke. Later, HU’s Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Shabib-ul-Hasan presented souvenirs to the guest speakers.

Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2025