Nursing is who you are. This was one of the key messages during an International Nurses Day celebration held at Groote Schuur Hospital today.
The day is commemorated annually on 12 May, in celebration of the birth date of the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale.
The day also serves as a reminder of the crucial role nurses, who are the backbone of the health-care system, play.
The hospital’s Nico Malan Hall was abuzz as nursing staff enjoyed entertainment by local artist Zoë Zana and children from Grotties Childcare Centre and Oaktree Pre-School in Mowbray. Proceedings kicked off with a prayer, followed by speeches made by Dr Nomafrench Mbombo Western Cape Minister of Health and Wellness, and Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, the Deputy Minister of Health.
Guest speaker Marlow Newman-Valentine, regional programme coordinator at Inclusive and Affirming Ministries (IAM), encouraged nurses to stay true to their calling. Dhlomo said: “The best teacher is a nurse. Many of the good doctors out there were taught by nurses. Continue to do what you are doing.”
Mbombo thanked the nursing staff for their dedication and service and said: “From the cradle to the grave you are there for the patients.”
Aghmat Mohamed, Director of Nursing Services at Groote Schuur, said the hospital wanted to acknowledge that without nurses the country’s “health-care system will collapse.
“Every child is brought into the world by a nurse or midwife. It will also be a nurse who will close your eyes for the last time.
“It is important for us to acknowledge what nurses actually do for the population in terms of prevention, educating the public, and making families and patients comfortable when they are vulnerable. We are proud of what we do; it is a calling. We like serving the public.”
Nurse Primrose Mjikeliso, operational manager in the oncology ward, said her passion for nursing was sparked by her rural upbringing in the Eastern Cape.
“In the rural area we used to care for our grandparents when our parents went to work. You must have a passion for people, be caring and have a good heart.”
For nurse Thoyidah Moolla nursing was a calling that she answered more than 13 years ago.
“I was initially going to study teaching but when I wasn’t accepted at university the opportunity to become a nurse came along. And once I started there was no turning back. Knowing that you are making an impact on the life of the patient makes you feel better.”
Moolla encouraged those wanting to pursue such a career as a way of showing compassion to feel free to do so. “It is not about the money or status,” she pointed out. “If you want to make a difference, then step into this career.”
