I read about it here: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-31/hospitals...
The relevant quote: "Ming Lin, an emergency room physician in Washington state, said he was told Friday he was out of a job because he’d given an interview to a newspaper about a Facebook post detailing what he believed to be inadequate protective equipment and testing. In Chicago, a nurse was fired after emailing colleagues that she wanted to wear a more protective mask while on duty. In New York, the NYU Langone Health system has warned employees they could be terminated if they talk to the media without authorization."
If this is true, it's absolutely insane! There's a global pandemic, medical staff is overwhelmed psychically and mentally. It seems there is no justice for them. They should be praised and helped by authorities, understood by all people. Yet, I'm reading about doctors and nurses being fired for speaking out their safety concerns.
Re:What the Nurses See
by LorenPechtel on Wednesday April 01, 2020 @01:31PM
(#22751306)
No. The regulators aren't going to do anything about a hospital that doesn't have enough staff these days. There's no downside for a hospital to fire someone for speaking up, but letting them get away with speaking up is asking for malpractice suits.
Hospitals need all the workforce they can get. No matter what they do now, during the pandemic, there will be no shortage of patients. And I suppose it is in their best financial interest to treat as many as possible, and it means a lot of personnel.
Having it the other around makes a lot more sense: doctor doesn't feel safe because of a lack of PPE, refuses to work, gets fired, complains about it. If that's the situation, it is not about whistle-blowing, it is about the right to stop working if the conditions aren't safe. Both are (or should be) basic workers rights, but these are very different things.