Top marks for Nightingale
NONHLANHLA Mthethwa flew the Zululand flag high when she was recognised among top achievers at the KZN College of Nursing graduation ceremony held in Pietermaritzburg last week.
Mthethwa, who had been training at Benedictine Hospital in Nongoma, now holds a Diploma in Nursing (General, Psychiatry and Community) and Midwifery.
The 34-year-old who graduated Cum Laude said hard work, focus and discipline placed her among the top achievers.
‘There is no hidden secret in achieving good results. You just need to focus on your studies.
‘It is also important to engage with other people to help you understand what you are studying.
‘Seek assistance - your teachers, colleagues and family support are also very important.’
She encouraged other students to set their sights on achieving their goals.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony for the 1391 undergraduate and post-graduate nurses, KZN Health MEC Dr Sibongiseni
Dhlomo applauded them for their achievements saying this is not only a wonderful occasion for them but also for the public at large.
‘We have nurses in this province who have assisted us to reduce the rate of mother to child transmission of HIV.
‘In 2008, 20% of women who were pregnant would give birth to an HIV positive baby. To date, we only have 1,2%. It is a wonderful achievement. If we were to only rely on doctors, we would not be where we are.
‘Secondly, we pride ourselves on the fact that of the 4,3 million South Africans on anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment, 1.3 million are from KZN. Again, that is thanks to the strides and contributions made by nurses.’
Dhlomo said they will continue to lobby for more funding to employ nurses to improve the quality of health care.
‘The few nurses who are there may make mistakes if they don’t have enough hands. ‘Therefore, if you don’t employ, you pay more on litigation when people claim that this would not have happened if there were enough of nurses.
‘We are continuously working on addressing that, supported by provincial treasury and full cabinet.
‘We may not be able to fill all posts that are necessary but we must fill reasonably enough posts to make sure that the work continues, and continues adequately,’ he said.
MEC Dhlomo also urged nurses to treat patients with care and respect.