"Why Am I a Nurse?" COVID-19 Prolongation, Frontline Medical Staff Pushed to Their Limits

Prolonged COVID-19 Pandemic... Frontline Medical Staff 'Burnout' Intensifies
Nurses and Epidemiologists Complain of "Feeling Tense 24 Hours"
Experts Urge "Serious Workforce Dissatisfaction... Government Must Prepare Countermeasures"

On the afternoon of the 17th, medical staff were preparing for testing ahead of the operation at a temporary screening clinic for COVID-19 set up at Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall on Taepyeong-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] As the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis continues for a prolonged period, concerns are emerging that healthcare workers such as nurses and epidemiological investigators working on the front lines of quarantine efforts are reaching their limits.

With the continuous spread of COVID-19, all of these workers are suffering from exhausting workloads. It is known that since the domestic spread of COVID-19 intensified in February, they have been working on-site and experiencing so-called 'burnout.' Experts are urging the government to take active measures to prevent the exhaustion and departure of frontline medical personnel.

On the 18th, a nurse working in COVID-19 quarantine posted a plea on the online nurse community 'Nursecape.' In a post titled "Enduring with just one sanitary pad. Why am I a nurse?" the nurse lamented, "Those who came for testing after overlapping routes with confirmed cases during their outings, I resent and am exhausted by you."

She continued, "I didn’t even have time to change my sanitary pad, so I endured my shift today with just one pad," adding, "After work, seeing the red marks hidden under my long padded jacket, I just want to give up everything."

Regarding those who get irritated over testing delays, the nurse also expressed, "You who say 'Why do we have to wait so long?' probably don’t see my arms frozen inside short sleeves under the protective suit and gloves."

On the afternoon of May 12, nurses at Keimyung University Daegu Dongsan Hospital in Jung-gu, Daegu, were heading to the ward with patients infected with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). / Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier, on February 28, the Ministry of Health and Welfare recruited and dispatched nurses to support the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions, where personnel shortages occurred due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. Since then, these medical workers have been assigned to areas with shortages of beds and staff, such as Gwangju in July and recently the Seoul metropolitan area.

The problem lies in the fact that working long hours in poor conditions quickly depletes their physical strength. In particular, nurses work more than eight hours a day wearing various protective equipment such as full-body protective suits, double gloves, N95 masks, and face shields to prevent infectious disease transmission.

Some nurses have even collapsed due to the strenuous work. On June 9, three nurses collapsed from exhaustion at a temporary screening clinic near a middle school in Michuhol-gu, Incheon. They had been working in protective suits under heat exceeding 30 degrees Celsius, which worsened their health.

On the 2nd, staff members of the Epidemiological Investigation Team at the Infectious Disease Control Division of Seoul City were working on responding to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). / Photo by Yonhap News

It is not only nurses who are pushed to their limits due to the prolonged COVID-19 crisis. Epidemiological investigators, who are responsible for tracing confirmed patients’ movements, are also reporting burnout caused by intense labor and mental stress.

A research team led by Professor Yoo Myungsoon of Seoul National University Graduate School of Public Health conducted a group interview on the 26th of last month with 20 epidemiological investigators in Gyeonggi Province. The participants reported working more than 12 hours a day and receiving work-related calls regardless of weekdays or weekends after hours. Because of this, they described feeling "on edge 24 hours a day," and 80% of them suffered from burnout symptoms such as emotional exhaustion and decreased efficacy.

Experts warn that the emotional and physical exhaustion of healthcare workers could also threaten COVID-19 quarantine efforts. There are concerns that the work efficiency of exhausted medical personnel could seriously decline or that they might even leave the field entirely.

Na Soonja, chairperson of the Health and Medical Workers’ Union, held a press conference on the 23rd at the union office in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, urging the formation of a 'National Emergency Medical Committee' to prevent the exhaustion and departure of medical personnel.

Chairperson Na pointed out, "The morale and sense of deprivation among existing personnel are at a serious level," adding, "The government’s failure to reflect the on-site situation has reduced effectiveness, and in the process, workers at dedicated hospitals are exhausted and burned out."

She further stated, "The government must establish a practical treatment system and prepare intensive care beds and medical personnel to respond to a large-scale COVID-19 outbreak," and suggested, "To prevent issues such as the departure of medical personnel from the field, the government must take active measures to ensure equitable support related to personnel."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.