Nurses part of backbone of our health service

On Tuesday, we celebrated International Nurses Day.

Minister for Health and Medical Services Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete described it as a day to commemorate the birth of the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale.

The nurses constitute one of the important pillars of our health and medical services. These services cannot operate without them

But more importantly, a special day to recognise and appreciate the selfless work of nurses in our society.

The nurses constitute one of the important pillars of our health and medical services. These services cannot operate without them.

In recognition of their contribution, the Government has raised their salaries deservedly to be compatible with the kind of work they do.

Imagine all those years before their big pay rise. They kept the health and medical services ticking despite some extremely difficult times.

When there is a disease or virus outbreak they are on the frontline.

They put their lives and their families’ lives at risk. Towards the end of last year, they played a critical role during the battle against the measles outbreak. No Fijian died from it.

Then came COVID-19. And again they were sent to the frontline to help fight the war against the killer virus.

In other countries, health and medical workers have died from COVID-19.

We are fortunate here that our frontliners have not been infected, it’s a tribute to them that no Fijian has died.

The nurses have played a crucial role, even staying away from families to man the isolation units in hospitals.

Dr Waqainabete has rightly described them as the unsung heroes of COVID-19.

They comprise close to 3200 midwives, nurse practitioners and registered nurses in the country.

He says it is a thankless job and their contribution towards the well-being of the nation can never be truly measured.

In the midst of COVID-19 they have also been busy looking after patients with other ailments not associated with the virus.

We owe them a sense of gratitude for their dedication and sacrifice in the true Nightingale spirit.

Let’s acknowledge their contribution by expressing our appreciation when we meet them in and outside of hospitals.

Sometimes they may not meet our high expectations for reasons we do not know but only they know. Usually those issues are beyond their control and not their fault. Let’s celebrate Nurses Day everyday by how we treat them. NEMANI DELAIBATIKI