With anti-vaccine protests planned to take place in hospitals across the country on Monday, including one at Toronto General Hospital, an association of nurses from across the province is calling for stronger protection for hospitals and health workers.
The Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) has voiced its condemnation of these protests, including through a press release from last week detailing the anguish nurses have endured from the demonstrations in their workplaces.
The association wants to implement safe zones, which are areas where protests cannot occur so that they do not obstruct access to hospitals and other essential health care institutions.
Doris Grinspun, executive director of RNAO, says these protests prevent patients from entering hospitals for medical care and healthcare workers from doing their jobs. Grinspun says that authorized action against such demonstrations is long overdue.
“Any minute we wait is a minute too late. It is a minute in which the companions call me to tell me that they have had it. They have had it because (for) 18 months, they have worked non-stop giving it their all, ”Grinspun said. “Just imagine this other unnecessary stress on them.”
One of the authorities the RNAO wants action on is the city of Toronto. The city acknowledges the protests and says it will monitor the demonstrations for public safety in conjunction with the Toronto Police Service (TPS).
“The City and TPS are aware of the protests and will monitor and respond accordingly to ensure public safety,” the City of Toronto told the Star by email.
A TPS spokesperson said that “as with all protests and demonstrations, we will continue to monitor the situation and officials will respond, when appropriate.”
The RNAO is not the only healthcare association speaking out against Monday’s protests. On Sunday, the Ontario Hospital Association tweeted a statement urging protesters to be peaceful and respectful of hospital workers.
“Health workers and patients receiving care should not be the object of protests. Protests and other legitimate forms of expression about politics should take place in other more appropriate settings than a hospital, ”the statement read.
In addition to the safe zones, Grinspun said the RNAO wants protesters who display aggression to be reprimanded and face charges. Grinspun suspects that a small but inevitable minority of these protest groups could be linked to white supremacists. He fears that continued inaction will make this faction even more prominent.
“The moment we leave it unattended and don’t nip it in the bud is when you’re giving oxygen to this kind of radicalization (which has been going on),” Grinspun said.
RNAO also calls on the public to support healthcare workers by holding provincial and municipal governments accountable. Grinspun encourages people to avoid circulating the names of anti-vaccine groups.
“Don’t give them legs by naming them,” he said.
Reference-www.thestar.com