#international nurses day
Nurses continue to play a crucial role in the healthcare sector.
International Nurses Day (IND) is celebrated every year on May 12. The day has been celebrated since 1965 and it is in conjunction with the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth.
Nightingale is known as the mother of the nursing profession and this day is dedicated to recognising the role of nurses and other health care workers in society.
Today’s healthcare workforce is estimated to be seven million and it is expected to grow to 12.9 million by 2035.
This number is not enough to deal with billions of people around the world whose health is dependent on these healthcare workers.
IND not only recognises and appreciates the work done by nurses but it’s a day to reflect on the challenges faced by the world when it comes to health issues as well.
Developing countries are still facing a lot of challenges when it comes to fighting disease. Sub-Saharan Africa alone is carrying 24% of the global burden of diseases with only 3% of the world’s healthcare force.
The reality is that there is a shortage of nurses especially in developing countries. According to the World Health Organisation, this shortage can be attributed to non-existent or under-resourced training institutions, low remuneration and the slow rate at which retiring professionals are replaced.
Ntombiza Khathi from White City is a nurse with one of the private hospitals in Johannesburg. She believes that nursing should be a calling and people should not join the profession for other reasons.
“People should not join this profession unless they are passionate about taking care of people and willing to work long hours,” said Khathi.
Nonetheless she is happy about having a day dedicated to recognising the hard work they do every day. “I will be spending mine at home since it’s my day off, so I will be resting,” she said.
Ian Wakefield, general manager for Southern Africa at Becton Dickinson (BD) a biomedical devices company believes nothing can replace the role of nurses in the healthcare sector.
“Although medical technology has a big role to play in the provision of health services, the human factor is unique. We must not undermine the effect of the depletion of this precious human resource on the lives of the millions of people who pass through our clinics and hospitals,” said
Wakefield.
BD has been holding the frontline in the fight against needlestick injuries and other occupational safety issues affecting healthcare professionals and patients.
Due to the nature of their work, nurses are at risk of being infected with diseases like HIV and hepatitis. This is due to the fact that they work with needles which might have blood contaminated with these diseases.
“We could produce the most ground-breaking technology but if the resourcing and safety of our doctors and nurses in the workplace is not prioritised, our efforts would be futile,” said Wakefield.
