Joint Nursing Service Union (JNSU)
23,000 Nurse Vacancies Islandwide 2026
Full Details
WhatsApp Group Link - Click_Here
20260629
The Joint Nursing Service Union (JNSU) says that the nursing staff is under severe pressure due to a shortage of about 23,000 nurses in hospitals across the island. Its President Venerable Thenne Gnanananda Thero points out that the current government has also failed to take positive steps to minimize the nursing shortage. The President of the Joint Nursing Service Union (JNSU) Venerable Thenne Gnanananda Thero made this statement while participating in a media briefing held in Colombo regarding the problems facing the nursing service. Speaking at the meeting, Venerable Thenne Gnanananda Thero pointed out that there are serious vacancies of about 23,000 nurses and about 14,000 junior staff in the current hospital system. In such a situation, one nurse has to cover the work of two nurses, the Thero said. In some cases, nurses have to work continuously for several days, creating unbearable work pressure, and the Thero also pointed out that this situation is the root cause of many problems, including the recent incident at Kinniya Hospital. Venerable Thenne Gnanananda Thero has also warned that the hospital system will further collapse if a short-term, medium-term and long-term plan is not immediately formulated to address the nursing shortage. Speaking at the event, Venerable Thanne Gnanananda Thero, Chairman of the Joint Nursing Service Union (JNSU), said, "One issue we have been discussing for a long time is the shortage of nurses in hospitals. Unless some short-term, long-term and medium-term action plan is taken to address the shortage of nurses, this hospital system is destined to further collapse and collapse. But we still do not see the government taking a positive approach to this matter. There is currently a shortage of 14,000 junior staff. There is also a shortage of about 23,000 nurses. This is why this hospital system is running like this. They are covering the work of one or two nurses and are making their interventions to run this hospital system like this. Then, nurses are under unbearable work pressure. That is the problem that happened at Kinniya Hospital on the one hand. A number of such incidents are bound to happen and have happened. They are all related to "With this nursing shortage. Because there are times when some nurses have to work continuously for a day, two, three days." The Secretary of the association, Ms. Nisansa Fernando, who also attended the press conference, said that due to the problems in the nursing service, the number of nurses going abroad has also increased. The nurse also pointed out that the nursing community is under severe mental and physical pressure as patient care services cannot be stopped even though the number of staff is reduced. She further stated that some nurses have even taken their own lives due to enduring this pressure for a long time. Speaking at the event, Secretary of the Joint Nursing Service Union (JNSU), Ms. Nisansa Fernando, said, "Nurses do not even have time to look at someone else who works with them. In short, they do not have time to take care of themselves. It is only after enduring mental and physical stress for a long time that nurses end up in a situation like this. So, we say that the nursing shortage has now reached an unbearable level. We cannot stop providing services to patients because this number is low. We have to do the work of another nurse. This requires a quick short-term and long-term program. Because we know that by now, the unbearable mental and economic pressure in this nursing service has led to a rapid increase in emigration."
