International Nurses Day: Durban nurse shares how the pandemic changed her life
In a four part series, the Berea Mail interviews local nurses to find out more about life on the frontlines.
International Nurses’ Day is commemorated each year on 12 May to mark the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth and to celebrate the achievements of the nursing profession. This year, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, nurses are continuing to serve on the frontlines. This year’s theme is Nurses: A Voice to Lead – A vision for future healthcare. In a four part series, the Berea Mail interviews local nurses to find out more about life on the frontlines.
WITH a nursing career spanning more than 20 years, Professor Gugu Mchunu, has worked as an occupational health nurse at a Kimberly mine, a nursing sister at Prince Mshiyeni Hospital and as the head of Nursing Discipline at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). Mchunu is now the deputy director of the World Health Organisation’s collaborating centre in the UKZN Discipline of Nursing.
“I grew up watching my mom who was a community worker all her life. She served the community with so much passion. I wanted to work with people and improve their lives. After training as a nurse I chose the nursing field that would allow me to do exactly that – community health nursing,” said the nurse.
International Nurses Day takes on a sober tone this year as nurses are “leading the revolution” in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, said Mchunu.
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“So many nurses have been bruised or affected, they are living amidst many psychological changes and fears of infection. We need to come up with solutions to address this. It is only befitting for them to lead the change and innovations. The nurses have to engage in policy discussions. In collaboration with other health care professionals, they need to develop protocols and plans to improve their preparedness for future pandemics or health emergencies,” she said.
While the pandemic has highlighted the role of nurses, Mchunu said nurses have always played a crucial role in health promotion, disease prevention and disease treatment.
“They are even referred to as the backbone or the heartbeat of the health care system –however, the role of the nurses, as frontline workers has been highlighted even more during the pandemic. They were always cited as the ones safeguarding the lives of everyone affected, risking their own lives. When everyone else was working from home, on lockdown, the nurses were the first ones, together with other health care workers, who were identified as the essential workers who would continue working, as they were the much-needed frontline workers,” she said.
Mchunu said nurses carried a heavy emotional burden as care givers who witnessed the high death rates.
“Nurses were there during the most crucial time of testing and diagnosis. They had to support the person and family when testing positive, risking their own lives during the process. The relatives were not allowed to see their loved ones during hospital admission, the ICU nurses were there caring for them during that difficult time when they felt alone with no one else. They witnessed the deaths,” she said.
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“They had to go through traumatic experiences of getting sick themselves, caring for the sick—they had to be resilient. In terms of mental health issues nurses are still dealing with the effects of Covid-19, all the traumatic effects, fear, depression, long Covid. As much as other health care providers are there but the nurses are usually the first port of entry,” she added.
For Mchunu, the pandemic has highlighted so many challenges that are faced by the nurses.
“Some of these major issues facing nurses in this situation are the critical shortage of nurses, beds, and medical supplies, including personal protective equipment and, as reviews indicate. The healthcare system was caught off guard and unprepared for this pandemic in terms of the relevant policies, curriculum and resources,” she said.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
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