The latest surge in novel coronavirus cases is like a California wildfire burning across the length and breadth of Jamaica.

Its latest strain, the Delta, which had obviously been present in the island much earlier than it was detected and reported by the authorities, is our latest nightmare. The country is now faced with the greatest threat to its health in our lifetime, and there may be worse to come. Who next will die as a result of the unrelenting assault of this virus is a question that should be high on the minds of every Jamaican.

In the midst of this raging novel coronavirus wildfire, there is discontent brewing among the island’s nurses. First, it was among junior doctors, but the Government was able to achieve an uneasy peace with this group. Now it is the turn of the nurses, and things do not look pretty. It is never good to see nurses, and doctors for that matter, go on strike – not for a Government, not for the nurses or doctors, themselves, and certainly not for the people they serve.

But this time around the nurses seem to have reached the zenith of their endurance. There is an anger, largely silent, among this group. For decades they have complained about the conditions under which they work – the low compensation for the gruelling work they have to perform and the general lack of appreciation for what they do. In this time of the pandemic they feel harassed, neglected, mentally and physically drained and, worse, taken for granted.

Many in the profession feel that they have gone beyond the call of duty to fulfil to keep the nation well; however, in the existential crisis presented by the pandemic they do not feel appreciated by the public they serve. Along with their other medical colleagues, they have begged, cajoled, and urged the public to take the virus seriously by wearing masks, practising physical distancing, observing the proven protocols that can prevent infection and, when the vaccines came, begged people to get vaccinated.

They do these things not only because they are concerned about the nation’s health, but also to preserve their health. When infected people arrive at the hospitals they are the first responders, apart from the waiters, who have to contend with them as they situate them on the wards and, later, in some cases, in the intensive care units.

They suffer the mental agony of watching people struggling to breathe and some eventually dying. No nurse or doctor wants to see a patient die. They are there to make people well and save lives. But they are often forced to watch, helplessly, as too many slip into the beyond, despite their best efforts to help them. This cycle has been ongoing for almost two years, and shows no sign of easing anytime soon.

The worse thing is to come to a point where one has to accept routine dying as a ritual or to reach a place of nonchalance because of the overwhelming nature of the problem being faced.

What have the nurses got from the public for all their concern, grief, and mental agony? Their appeals have been largely ignored by the general public, many of whom have invested themselves in conspiracy theories and have largely ignored the protocols required to keep themselves safe.

The nurses know that people’s rhetoric about them being heroes is at best hollow, if not hypocritical, because this pronouncement is not matched by any action on their part to really do the things that can make their work easier, ease the frustrations that they face at the workplace, or allay their fear of becoming infected by the novel coronavirus. And that fear is palpable – medical personnel have died from this virus. The rhetoric does not recognise the mental agony that they have had to undergo for almost two years, battling a disease which is a daily threat to their own existence.

In addition to all of this, they feel that they have been ‘dissed’ by the Government. Debate has raged about a statement by Prime Minister Andrew Holness regarding prioritising treatment to members of the medical profession. Some interpreted the remarks, rightly or wrongly, to be part of a narrative of disdain that nurses have felt throughout the years. The brouhaha about the prime minister’s comments is unnecessary and need not distract us from the task at hand. No well-thinking person would think that a leader of Government would refuse priority treatment, as needed, to members of the medical profession, who are at the forefront of the battle against a raging pandemic.

But there is a larger narrative underscoring the nurses’ concerns which must not be missed. This has to do with the perennial grievance over remuneration and conditions of work. I am unashamedly unapologetic regarding my support and sympathy for the nurses and doctors, especially at this time, in their fight to have greater attention paid to their concerns. One is in full agreement with the argument for the Government to carve out a one-time support at this time.

We can work out the long-term conditions later, but the immediate needs must be addressed. They need help and many are at a breaking point mentally, economically, and socially.

Yes, I hear the loud pushback that the teachers, police, and other professionals need to be addressed as well. I am not ignoring this, but frankly none of these groups face the risk and immediate danger that the medical professionals face. If members of these groups or their family members get sick, they, too, will have to interface with these personnel. We need to lift the morale of these professionals at this time and we should not be tepid in doing so. What will it cost – $1 billion, $2 billion, $5 billion?

We can do the maths, but I do not believe it is beyond us to come up with an interim remuneration package that can send a message to these professionals that we do care. Jamaica has qualified for over US$500 million in Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and a further US$150 million from the World Bank to help with COVID-19-related issues. I well understand the reluctance of the Minister of Finance Dr Nigel Clarke to borrow at this time. Outside of these resources, I do believe that we can meet a package out of our present resources. We must act with the same urgency with which we expect the nurses and the doctors to fight the virus. Let us do it, Prime Minister.

Raulston Nembhard is a priest, social commentator, and author of the books Finding Peace in the Midst of Life’s Storm and Your Self-esteem Guide to a Better Life . Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or stead6655@aol.com.