National recognition for Bay TB nurse
Exceptional skills, care for patients driven by need to help community
ANELSON Mandela Bay nurse has been honoured for her exceptional work by being named first runner-up in the national Marilyn Lahana awards.
Venesia Draghoender, head of infection control at the Jose Pearson Tuberculosis Hospital in Mission Road, Greenbushes, received the award earlier this month.
The awards are organised by the Democratic Nurses Organisation of SA (Denosa). Named after the first nurse to die after contracting the Ebola virus while nursing a patient, they recognise nursing achievements.
Draghoender was cited by judges for being instrumental in implementing outreach services in the community, the assistance she gives to district nurses and going to patients’ homes to give them their injections.
She is also involved in social justice and drug awareness programmes in Booysen Park.
It is her second nursing award – she also received the award for best nurse in 1989 when she worked at Livingstone Hospital.
“Venesia renders care to both patients and community members with love and dignity at all times, and practices the nurses’ pledge and nursing ethics,” her citation read.
“She always has a positive attitude towards patients and staff and works well within the multidisciplinary team.
“She demonstrates dedication, passion and motivation towards her work and has shown a keen interest in infection control.”
Draghoender said she was delighted at the award.
“I also mentor the nursing students from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and I tell them every day: ‘Nursing is a calling, it is not a job. If your heart isn’t in this, you must go find something else to do’.”
She said even though she worked every day with very sick people who were admitted with multi-drug resistant TB, she did not fear getting ill.
“We are lucky that we work with patients who have been diagnosed and we can take all the precautions to make sure that nobody else gets infected.
“We treat them with respect and with care. It is a privilege to care for patients. People should see it that way.”