Nurses are frequently referred to as the ‘angels’ of the healthcare system, conjuring an image of miracle workers, ever-present to attend to the sick and dying among us.But this depiction is one that has for too long served to obfuscate the reality – a reality that has become increasingly harsh for healthcare workers during this global pandemic; and for the considerable number of migrant nurses working in this country, such a depiction is in stark contrast to the reality of working in a system in which many feel like outsiders.Ireland has relied heavily on migrant nurses to staff its healthcare system for two decades, and currently almost half of all nurses working in Ireland are migrant nurses, the majority from India and the Philippines. But the Irish healthcare system is struggling to retain its nurses, and migrant nurses are calling attention to the fact that the Irish healthcare system must do more to create a culture of inclusivity, and to protect many (particularly private sector) migrant nurses from exploitative practices.In 2019, Varghesse Joy and colleagues began to give a much needed voice to the migrant nurse community, founding Migrant Nurses Ireland (MNI) in 2020, in an effort to improve conditions for migrant nurses in the Irish healthcare system, which is having increasing difficulty retaining this most indispensable part of society.Varghese, a Clinical Nurse Manager in the social care sector in Dublin, has worked in the nursing profession for over 16 years. The effort to organize began in 2019, during a function at which the health Minister of Kerala, Smt. K.K. Shailaja, was in attendance, and where Varghese – a native of Kerala himself – and colleagues Aiby Thomas,Vinu Kaippily, Anoop John, raised their concerns to highlight the unique challenges and concerns faced by migrant nurses working in Ireland.INMO general secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha was also in attendance at the 2019 function to honour Minister K.K. Shailaja, and responded to Varghese and his colleagues’ concerns by expressing support for the creation of a forum for migrant nurses. That gave energy to Varghese and colleagues, culminating in the formation of MNI. Migrant Nurses Ireland (MNI) is an independent, non-political professional organisation open to all migrant nurses working in the Republic of Ireland. Its aim is to support the working conditions, and welfare of migrant nurses here.Among the issues faced by migrant nurses are prevalence of exploitative practices particularly in the private sector, where migrant nurses are consistently expected to work well in excess of their contracted hours; that similarly, migrant nurses working in remote areas of the country are vulnerable to exploitation and often unaware of their rights; that proportionally, there is a very low rate of progression within the migrant nurse population and strong evidence of a lack of equal opportunity for promotion; that migrant nurses are frequently overlooked for critical-care permits in favour of less experienced Irish nurses; that racial discrimination and abuse is prevalent causing many to feel alienated, and that the absence of a streamlined immigration policy, specifically in terms of the Atypical Working Scheme, frequently results in migrant nurses being forced out of work for extended periods during the employment permit application process.MNI ensures that all migrant nurses working in Ireland are informed of their rights, and have access to a union that recognises the unique challenges they face, so as to better represent them within a system that relies so heavily on their service.MNI’s work towards reducing the time of Atypical skill visa yielded good results as migrant nurses are issued Atypical skill permit in less than 5 days.Their campaign towards fast tracking the PPS number also yilelded good results. They also raised strong voice to waive NMBI fees and collected more than 8000 signatures in any terms an herculean task .MNI is a ray of hope for millions of people who are planning to migrate to Ireland. Organisations like MNI are an asset to any society. We Hope them the keep up the good work and lift the downtrodden in all possible way.For those who would like to become members of MNI, please go to www.mni.ie to learn more, or visit the following link https://migrantnurses.ie/join-now/
