SARS Lawsuits – From Nurses?

I thought nurses were health care professionals?

Thirty nurses infected with SARS are suing the province for almost $200 million, claiming the government didn’t do enough to protect them during the outbreak. “The nurses taking part in this lawsuit have been and continue to be severely affected by SARS. Most were in hospital for many days or weeks and were off work for many months. In addition, they have suffered isolation and social stigma as a result of SARS,” Ontario Nurses Association president Linda Haslam-Stroud said at a news conference yesterday. The nurses worked at hospitals throughout the city and each contracted the disease while on the job. Some returned to work after six months, some as recently as December, some not at all. Many suffer lingering health effects, such as difficulty breathing. One passed on the infection to her 10-year-old son, who now suffers from asthma.

Unfortunate, sure. But people – it’s your job to be on the front line with infectious disease outbreaks. The government is paying you to protect us. Risk of infection comes with the territory.

Each nurse is seeking $5 million, while their family members are asking for $700,000 each in damages. They are asking to split another $5 million in punitive damages, for a total of $188.6 million. “Money aside, accountability needs to happen. Someone’s got to stand up and take responsibility. That’s a very big thing,” said Connie Leroux, a nurse in the intensive care unit at North York General Hospital who contracted SARS and still has breathing problems. The lawsuit follows a $600 million suit launched by a nurse who got SARS off the job. It’s aimed at the city, province and federal governments, alleging political meddling sparked a second SARS outbreak. It has not yet been certified as a class action.

What’s next – RCMP suits against “the government” for not protecting them from criminals?