International healthcare staff fear for safety after spate of racist assaults, HSE says

Nurses and midwives from India, Africa and other Asian countries account for 23% of HSE nurses and midwives. File picture: iStock

Some international healthcare staff are now fearful for their personal safety following a spate of attacks on Indians and are considering moving away, the HSE warned. 

"This will have a dramatic impact on staff levels and the provision of health services and should be a cause for alarm for people in this country,” Anne Marie Hoey, chief people officer of the HSE, said.

"The HSE condemns all racist abuse and assaults of people from abroad, their families and the wider community," Ms Hoey said. "It is unacceptable. People should not be afraid to leave their house or go to work for fear of abuse.

“We are proud of our organisation’s diversity and are dependent on all our staff for the delivery of frontline, essential services. We are deeply grateful to international workers who have chosen to move their lives and families to Ireland to work with the HSE and help provide essential care and support for patients.” 

International workers make up more than 15% of the entire HSE workforce. Nurses and midwives from India, Africa and other Asian countries account for 23% of HSE nurses and midwives.

“The effective operation of many essential health services in Ireland would be seriously threatened without the support of the many thousands of international staff that work in our hospitals and community services every day,” the HSE said in a statement.

The HSE is proud of the organisation’s diverse workforce, all of whom are critical for provision of services for patients across Ireland.

India Day, an event which celebrates Ireland’s Indian community, has been cancelled this Sunday due to recent attacks on Indians.

An Indian tech worker was stabbed, beaten, robbed and partially stripped by a gang in Tallaght, Dublin last month. Bloodied and alone, he was then filmed and the video was uploaded to social media.

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The attack followed lies being spread about him on social media. He had only been in Ireland for three weeks and came on a critical skills visa.

The Indian embassy in Dublin recently warned of an increase in physical attacks reported against Indian citizens in Ireland.

It advised Ireland’s almost 80,000-strong Indian community to “take reasonable precautions for their personal security and avoid deserted areas, especially in odd hours”.