Nurses Express Dismay Over Promotion Delays, Morale Concerns

Nurses nationwide are expressing strong dissatisfaction with the Civil Service Commission's order to postpone promotions until the next fiscal year, a move that curtails advancement opportunities for frontline healthcare workers and has prompted calls for a government review. A nursing professional in Samut Songkhram province voiced her discontent with the postponement, urging relevant agencies to review the public sector workforce management reform. The Civil Service Commission's directive, issued yesterday, mandates a delay in promotions for all positions until fiscal year 2027. This decision stems from the cabinet's in-principle approval of a reform aimed at controlling escalating personnel expenditures, which includes a review of government agency missions and structures to reduce duplication and enhance efficiency through digital technology and AI. The promotion delay impacts general, academic, managerial, and administrative roles that would result in increased personnel costs. However, exceptions are provided for high-achieving academic personnel and certain medical positions. The Samut Songkhram source highlighted the disappointment among nurses, who are frontline workers providing nearly 24-hour patient care amidst staffing shortages and heavy workloads. Nurses in science and technology fields are particularly affected. Beyond their patient care duties, they are responsible for developing service systems, improving patient safety, conducting research, analyzing data, and producing academic works to support their applications for higher positions. For this group, promotion is not automatic but requires accumulating experience, developing work, conducting research, and presenting findings that benefit patients and the service system. "Many nurses have worked for decades, enduring day and night shifts and caring for patients during periods of limited personnel. Everyone endures these hardships hoping for career advancement. However, today we face measures to delay the advancement of positions, while some medical personnel are exempt. This raises the question of why nursing professionals are not considered in the same way," the source stated. The source emphasized that personnel advancement considerations should not solely focus on budgetary constraints but must also account for actual working conditions, responsibilities, risks, and the impact on morale. A perceived unfairness could negatively affect the public health system in the long run. Many nurses are contemplating quitting to express their dissatisfaction, yet feel unable to abandon their patients. "What nurses want is not special privileges, but fairness and recognition of their work," the source added. They are appealing to the government, the Civil Service Commission, and the Ministry of Public Health to listen to feedback from nurses nationwide and to review the details or implement appropriate measures, especially for those who have been waiting for advancement for decades, to maintain their morale. While the measure is a delay until the next fiscal year, not a permanent cancellation, the nursing group seeks clear clarification of criteria and impacts to alleviate concerns and restore confidence among frontline healthcare personnel. "We would like to appeal to senior management and policymakers to consider the feelings of nurses who have been working uninterrupted for decades. Please reconsider and prioritize the advancement of our work," the source concluded. Information source: Thai Newsroom