Retired nurse serves with a smile

Tsakani – “I love saving lives, giving hope to my patients and being the difference I want to see in this country.”
These are the words of retired nurse Alita Ntsoane who has rededicated herself to making a difference in the health sector, especially at Pholosong Hospital.
Walking through the hospital’s corridors, one cannot miss the neatly dressed woman in her smart uniform, with a good posture and hair freshly tied into Bantu knots who continuously greets patients with a smile.
She said during her training four decades ago, they were told a clean uniform and being presentable is part of the ethics of the profession.

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“To this day, when I see a young nurse dressed in jeans and clumsy-looking I call them aside to call them to order.
“This is our profession and only we can allow people to look down on it.
“We are here as older nurses to motivate the younger generation to uphold the ethics and remind them of the oath they took to serve,” she explained.
Ntsoane has been serving as a professional nurse for 38 years, 24 of which have been at Pholosong Hospital.
She retired in 2014, but two years later decided to go back to serving her community and responded to an invite from the hospital to serve.

“I love helping people, especially the elderly who are often misunderstood because of their frail health.
“In the two years of being in a retirement at home, I tried to keep myself occupied but I missed the hospital, the rush of saving a life and giving hope.
“When I received the call from the department I didn’t think twice and immediately accepted the offer.
“I missed being motivated to save lives, it was as if a part of me was slowly dying daily, even though I kept myself occupied with other projects,” she said.

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Ntsoane said when Covid-19 hit South African shores, she decided to continue serving the country on the frontline and putting her health at risk.
“As a nurse I took an oath to serve my country and save lives. I knew and understood what this meant, in my career I have served under compromising environment, pandemics and contagious illnesses.
“I could not allow myself to sit back and watch on the sidelines. Every morning before I leave my home I pray for safety, guidance for myself and colleagues.
“I believe if we listen to our principles on the guidelines that they have provided us with, we will be okay.
“Remember to wash your hands with soap and flowing water, sanitise, cough or sneeze into your flexed elbow, and most importantly avoid crowded spaces,” she added.

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