Decision to pay student nurses welcome
Labour Party Health spokesperson, Alan Kelly TD, has welcomed the decision to pay student nurses.
Deputy Kelly said:
“I welcome the decision by the Government to pay student nurses as healthcare assistants during the COVID-19 crisis.
“Student nurses like many healthcare professionals are putting themselves out on the frontline working to protect us from the spread of COVID-19, but unlike many of their colleagues in our hospitals up until now they were not being paid.
“The decision to pay student nurses at this time is absolutely the right decision.
“Student nurses have already paid over €3,000 in fees for the academic year, which has been cut short, many have had to give up part-time jobs in other health-care settings to scrub up and join the fight against COVID-19. Paying them as healthcare assistants will go someway to help them with their living expenses.”