The health ministry is advancing a bill aimed at alleviating hospital staffing shortages by adjusting nurse-to-patient ratios across various wards. Proposed changes include increasing the number of patients per nurse, moving from one nurse per five patients to one per six during morning shifts in surgical, pathology, geriatrics, and midwifery wards, with corresponding increases for afternoon and overnight shifts. Psychiatric wards would see a shift from one nurse per six patients to one per seven. Additionally, the responsibility for nurses in dialysis wards will increase from two to three machines per nurse. The bill also introduces flexibility for doctors to adjust ratios based on patient severity and significantly boosts the number of ward assistants, with an assistant required for every six patients, two for seven to fifteen, and two more for every additional fifteen. These measures are part of a broader package awaiting parliamentary review.