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appropriate precautions in place for health care providers, regardless
of their employment status and of whether they are members of a
regulated health care profession. Throughout the pandemic, health
care providers have repeatedly alleged that they do not have access
to adequate PPE.23 As well, some institutions did not have enough
PPE, while others were stockpiling it.24 Perhaps not surprisingly, there
were many reports of health care workers who refused to work due to
the unavailability of PPE.25
Governments and employers should also be prepared to put a
range of other measures in place to protect those who are serving on
the front lines. These measures include providing relevant, accessible,
and up-to-date information to health care providers; creating stand-
alone assessment and testing centres; introducing technologies that
mitigate risks to health care providers, such as using telemedicine to
assess and treat patients who are suffering from milder forms of the
virus and to reduce the burden on the health care system; and ensur-
ing that much-needed counselling and mental health supports are in
place for health care providers.26
Promoting Disclosure of Important Health and Safety Risks
In addition to courageously providing care to patients, health care
workers have raised the alarm about unsafe and illegal practices
throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Whistleblowing plays an important
role in protecting public health by ensuring timely investigation and
appropriate response to a public health risk.
23. Ontario Nurses Association, “MEDIA STATEMENT: Health-Care Unions Call
for Honest, Frank Collaboration from Ontario Government Regarding COVID-
19 Protection for Health-Care Workers” (11 March 2020), online: ONA <https://
www.ona.org/news-posts/20200311-covid19-joint-statement/>.
24. Andrew Russell, “At Least 2 Toronto Hospitals Begin Rationing Protective
Gear as COVID-19 Crisis Deepens”, Global News (25 March 2020), online:
<https://globalnews.ca/news/6731507/coronavirus-ontario-hospitals-protective-
gear-rationing-covid-19/>.
25. Tom Blackwell, “Canadian Nurses Treating COVID-19 Patients Cite Unsafe-
Work Laws to Demand N95 Masks”, The National Post (31 March 2020), online:
<https://nationalpost.com/health/canadian-nurses-working-with-covid-19-pa-
tients-demand-legal-right-to-wear-n95-masks>.
26. The Lancet, “COVID-19: Protecting Health-Care Workers” (2020) 395:10228 The
Lancet 922.
VULNERABLE
The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19
- Titel
- VULNERABLE
- Untertitel
- The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19
- Autoren
- Vanessa MacDonnell
- Jane Philpott
- Sophie Thériault
- Sridhar Venkatapuram
- Verlag
- Ottawa Press
- Datum
- 2020
- Sprache
- englisch
- Lizenz
- CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
- ISBN
- 9780776636429
- Abmessungen
- 15.2 x 22.8 cm
- Seiten
- 648
- Kategorien
- Coronavirus
- International