Public make simple gestures of thanks to staff at SUH
SMALL ACTS OF KINDNESS ARE BEING SHOWN TO THOSE WORKING AT SLIGO UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL AS A WAY OF SIMPLY SAYING THANKS
A Sligo nurse, now based in Scotland, found the time during the Covid-19 crisis to provide her colleagues at home in Ireland with goods, food and drinks to help them through the Covid-19 crisis.
Natasha Connolly, a nurse in Edinburgh but originally from Oakfield Park in Sligo town, went about raising funds via a GoFundMe page to help the staff at Sligo University Hospital and show her appreciation for the work they are doing.
Speaking to The Sligo Champion, Ms Connolly said she was moved to undertake the initiative as she is aware herself, as a nurse, the pressures staff are under at this time.
On Friday last, a hamper was donated on behalf of Ms Connolly to the ICU staff at Sligo University Hospital.
She said she chose the ICU as her partner works in the ICU unit in Edinburgh and therefore she knows how hard it is to work in that environment, particularly at this time during a global pandemic.
Ms Connolly also said she decided to make a gesture to Sligo as she feels sometimes smaller hospitals such as Sligo University Hospital are forgotten about when compared to those in larger areas in the country.
A presentation of a hamper from Gourmet Parlour in Sligo took place last Friday at the hospital, while the donation also included food and drink. In all, Ms Connolly’s fundraiser raised just short of £500.
It is a challenging time for many of those working on the frontline at this time, but there was an afternoon filled with joy for the radiology staff at Sligo University Hospital last Friday also.
The staff at the Radiology Department were treated to a complimentary curry lunch by Joyita Bhanja, who runs the popular Joy Kitchen and can often be seen with a stand at the Strandhill People’s Market.
The selfless gesture, initiated by Joyita, was widely welcomed by the staff who were treated to a delicious curry at lunchtime.
Sinead McGuinness is a radiographer at Sligo University Hospital and is a friend of Joyita’s.
Sinead said: “I’ve known her [Joyita] for years, and she just text me saying I’d like to do something nice as a nice gesture for the frontline staff in radiology where you work,”
The selfless gesture on the part of Joyita came as a nice surprise to the radiographers, who, like many other staff in the hospital, are working in challenging circumstances during the current crisis.
However, the lunch provided by Joyita offered an opportunity for the staff to take the time to enjoy each other’s company in a different way.
Sinead continued: “It’s just strange times but we put all of that aside and go ahead and have a nice lunch.” As for the work of the radiology department at the moment, Sinead says they benefited from wide-ranging preparation before the height of the Covid-19 crisis.
“We were well prepared, we had the advantage I suppose of being able to put things in place. We are ready, it definitely feels well prepared.” The lunch prepared and delivered by Joyita took place at Sligo University Hospital last Friday at 12.30pm, with all of those lucky enough receive a meal enjoying a lunch of a different kind.
Meanwhile, Tony Liu, a Taiwanese Student from National Taipei University of Technology participating in an exchange programme at Institute of Technology Sligo, decided to help the local community and his new found home by partnering with Scieneering Consulting Ltd to source and donate 1,000 medical masks to Nazareth House, Sligo. Tony was inspired by a larger ongoing charitable COVID-19 fundraising campaign by the Taiwanese Community in Ireland, ‘ Taiwan Can Help!’.
The campaign was launched in late March by the Taiwan Ireland Association to purchase reliable PPE for vulnerable groups and Long Term Care Facility in Ireland.
Scieneering Consulting Ltd is a service provider for the Pharmaceutical Industry and are based in Blacklion.
Both of its directors, Dr. Angel Cheng (from Taiwan) and Mr. Julien Thibault (from France), were graduates of IT Sligo and have been living in Connacht region for more than 13 years.
Mr. Thibault said: “Many of our customers are in Sligo, and the people we work with may have family members in LTCFs so when Tony approached us, we were happy to provide a solution.”