According to the Australian Nurses Federation (ANF) there are more than 18,000 reports of accidental needle stick injuries to nurses caused by syringes or other sharp items in Australia each year. This increases their risk of contracting deadly blood borne diseases like HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C etc. The authorities believe that these figures although alarming are not reflective of the true figures with many nurses choosing to keep their exposure under wraps.
Now the nurses are urging the government to provide more funds to secure that these accidents don’t happen. The ANF has demanded $50 million over three years from the Federal Government to organize a program that can reduce such risks. The ANF also wants reporting of such incidents to be made mandatory.
According to Federation Secretary Ged Kearney the funds should be directed towards educational campaigns and safer needles. “There are devices out there whereby once you have injected a patient and you remove the needle from the patient, the needle or the sharp bit actually retracts back into the needle itself…Most of the injuries occur when nurses prick themselves while disposing of needles or doing the dangerous task of recapping…We don't mind that we invest in fire safety outfits for firemen. Nobody questions buying bullet proof vests for policemen if they have to go into dangerous situations. So why are we not using these devices to protect nurses and other health care workers?” she said.
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