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Mon Jul 14 15:16:51 BST 2008

Tim,

Same here in Savannah, GA. Hospital is licensed for ~500 beds, staffed
for only ~400. We routinely close beds for staffing issues.

BTW — as far as I'm concerned this is a result of price controls on
medical care. If you can't raise the price of a widget to cover the
variable cost of making one more, you just won't make any more.
Basically in any sane industry if demand outstripped supply, prices
would rise to allow wages to increase to attract more workers, thereby
increasing supply. In medicine we can't increase nursing wages much so
we raid emerging countries for nurses instead, worsening their staffing
shortages (NYC hospitals would cease to function overnight if not for
Phillipino (sp?) nurses — best imperialism ever).

Bill

>>> Richard van der Kleyn <vdkleyn at hotmail.com> 7/14/2008 6:40 AM >>>

Dear Tim,

A recent survey here in Catalonia (north east spain) showed that we
were short of 15,000 nurses, Spain as a whole needs 3000 more ER docs.
in our hospital in the summer months we always have 1 ward closed (about
40 beds) due to a lack of nurses...even though in the summer our
catchment area populacion triples. Its much the same all other europe, a
lot of spanish nurses/doctors go to the UK ( better pay), most of our
new doctors come from south america (better pay), a lot of african
doctors now go to south america (better pay)......finally the well paid
western doctors go to africa as charitable organisations because of the
lack of doctors...it looks like money is the way to atract personal.

Richard van der Kleyn

> > -----Original Message-----> From: Timothy Craig Hardcastle > Sent:
14 July 2008 07:40> To: 'trauma-list at trauma.org'> Subject: Busy weekend
- nursing shortage> > Hi all> > We had a rather hectic weekend - but
were even more curtailed by a> shortage of nurses; had to close ICU beds
and refuse some patients from> the EMS. Is this just a South African
problem or is this really an issue> in the USA, Europe and UK as well?
Do you have any ideas about how to> attract dedicated trauma nurses to
one's unit?> > Tim> Dr Timothy C Hardcastle> M.B., Ch.B. (Stell); M. Med
(Chir) (Stell); FCS (SA)> Principal Surgeon-Lecturer / Sub-specialist:
Trauma and Critical Care> Deputy director: Trauma Unit and Trauma ICU>
Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital / UKZN> 800 Bellair Road>
Mayville, Durban> > Postal: PostNet Suite 27> Private Bag X05> Malvern,
4055> KwaZulu Natal> > timothyhar at ialch.co.za > > > --> trauma-list :
TRAUMA.ORG> To change your settings or unsubscribe visit:> http://www.tr

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Busy weekend - nursing shortage