Nurses hailed as heroes of the healthcare sector
International Nurses Day is celebrated all over the world in remembrance of Florence Nightingale.
THE NURSING profession is full of unsung heroes and everyday should be nurses’day.
These are just some of the sentiments that recently emerged at Addington Hospital as the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health celebrated the contribution of nurses in the public healthcare system.
The occasion took place in a jubilant atmosphere, with nurses singing songs in celebration of their profession.
ALSO READ: Nurses graduate from Natal Settlers
One of the highlights was the awarding of Sister Primrose “Steziah” Goge from Shaka’s Kraal Clinic with a trophy and a certificate of excellence.
The nurse used a fetoscope – a basic medical instrument – on a pregnant woman and was able to detect a very rare ailment in the unborn baby that is seen only in one out of 300 000 cases.
This resulted into a groundbreaking operation at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital called pericardiocentesis, which is an invasive procedure whereby a needle and a tube are used to remove fluid from the sac around the heart.
In this instance, it was performed on a baby whose mother was 29 weeks into her pregnancy.
Dr Thandeka Khanyile, acting Deputy Director General: Specialied Services and Clinical Support Services in the Department, thanked all nurses for the central role that they play in the healthcare sector.
ALSO READ: Student nurses engage with youth
She described them as “our strong mast in the quest to realize the government’s mandate of the attainment of a long and healthy life for all our citizens.”
“Nurses have almost single-handedly assisted KwaZulu-Natal to enroll more than 1 million patients on the Anti-Retroviral Therapy programme.”
“In our commemoration of the Nurses’ Day this year, I want us to be reminded of how a nurse is defined by the International Nursing Council: ‘It is a person who has completed a program of basic, generalized nursing education and is authorized by the appropriate regulatory authority to practice nursing in his/her country,” she said.
Dr Khanyile also reminded the nurses that South Africa has a Code of Ethics for Nursing that reminds all nursing practitioners of their responsibilities towards individuals, families, groups and communities, namely to protect, promote and restore health, to prevent illness s, preserve life and alleviate suffering.
“Nurses used to be held in high esteem by communities, patients and other professions.”
“Nurses are supposed to be a source of knowledge both to nursing neophytes/trainees and other professionals namely doctors and other allied health care professionals. Within comm unities, nurses used to be respected and given special status because of the skills and knowledge they possessed.
International Nurses Day is celebrated all over the world in remembrance of Florence Nightingale, an angel who became famous as an English nurse for her work of treating soldiers at night during the Crimean War.
Do you want to receive news alerts via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 060 532 5535.
You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
