In the United States, medical workers complaining about lack of equipment due to coronavirus are dismissed

At least two medical workers were fired after they expressed the need for additional tests for coronavirus and the provision of additional protective equipment, as hospitals across the country warn doctors and nurses not to publish information about the shortage of medication caused by the pandemic. Writes about this The Hill.

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A Washington emergency doctor was fired after criticizing working conditions at his hospital where he worked for 17 years, and Lauri Mazurkevich, a nurse from Chicago (Illinois), was fired after warning colleagues that masks provide insufficient protection against coronavirus.

“Nurses and other health care workers are suffering as hospitals try to maintain their image,” said Ruth Schubert, spokeswoman for the Washington State Nurses Association. “No healthcare worker should be punished or fired for speaking the truth.”

Min Lin, emergency room doctor at PeaceHealth St. Joseph in Bellingham, Wash., Was fired after he spoke out about the lack of protective measures.

Mazurkevich sued her former employer for wrongful dismissal. She was fired for warning her co-workers that the type of mask they were supposed to wear was “less safe and less effective” than the N-95 mask.

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As the country prepares for a sharp increase in the number of cases over the next few weeks, hospitals warn employees not to speak publicly about working conditions, which may include a shortage of masks and dressing gowns, as well as beds and ventilation devices.

The doctor, who runs two Facebook groups with 70 followers, said she had heard numerous messages from doctors who had been warned by their hospitals so that they would not pay public attention to the problems they faced when working with the influx of patients.

"I'm hearing widespread stories from doctors all over the country, and they're all saying, 'We have data that we think is important and the public needs to know, but our hospitals won't let us talk, and if we do, there will be dire consequences.' said Charlotte, North Carolina radiologist Nisha Mehta.

“The public needs to hear these stories, and other doctors need to hear them,” Mehta added. “It’s very important that everyone understands how bad it is.”

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The hospital administration says that this is part of the measures taken to protect the confidentiality of patients.

But health care workers like Lin say sounding the alarm about unsafe working conditions is part of a doctor's responsibility.

“Our oath is to do no harm,” Lin said. “I spoke out about the safety of patients and staff, and as a result I was fired.”

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