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International Nurses Day

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President Ramaphosa pays tribute to nurses

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday paid tribute to South Africa’s nurses for their critical contribution to the nation’s well-being.

“As a nation, we owe our wellbeing to the untiring commitment of nurses whose positive impact on our lives reaches beyond our physical health,” said President Ramaphosa.

The President’s comments come as the globe today marks International Nurses Day.

International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world every May 12, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. The annual commemoration is organised by the International Council of Nurses.

The Council has dedicated the year 2020 to acknowledging nurses and midwives as leaders in society.

President Ramaphosa called on communities to accord nurses the necessary gratitude and support.

He said that the highly valued contribution of nurses to society has taken on exponential importance in the battle against COVID-19.

“Nurses are the frontline of our healthcare system and we appreciate the dedication with which they perform their duties in public and private hospitals and clinics; in schools; in mines; in pharmacies; in corporate health and wellness programmes; in non-governmental organisations; in faith-based organisations; in sports federations; as volunteers in different settings, and as neighbours who don’t mind being woken up in the middle of the night when we need help,’ he said.

President Ramaphosa said nurses provide comfort and counsel.

“They provide comfort and counsel to the vulnerable and they are at our side from birth to the instant of death.”

“More broadly, nurses are community-builders, mentors, counsellors and educators who provide psychosocial support, beyond the medical domain, to the communities in which they are based and are at the forefront of our fight against many social ills,” he said.

Nurses are also central to the achievement of a better life for all South Africans.

“Nurses deserve our appreciation and gratitude and we must offer nurses the protection they need against a range of threats, from viruses to violence. Currently, nurses are placing themselves between our communities and the unseen enemy we face in COVID-19.”

“We are humbled by their bravery, their hard work and their commitment to putting the interests of all South Africans before their own and those of their own families.

“Let us pause today to celebrate this invaluable and treasured cadre of our society and let us give them our full support and gratitude into the future,” the President said. – SAnews.gov.za

SANAC salutes nurses

As the world today marks International Nurses Day, South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) Chairperson, Deputy President David Mabuza, has saluted local nurses for their service against the novel Coronavirus.

Each year on 12 May, the world observes International Nurses Day to mark and recognise the significant contribution that nurses make to society.

“We take this opportunity to convey our special and sincere gratitude to all our nurses throughout the country, for their dedication in providing healthcare support to our people,” he said on Tuesday.

The Deputy President said nurses play an important role in saving lives by providing quality treatment and care.

“Whilst our country and indeed the whole world is confronted by the COVID-19 virus, which affects all elements of the social and economic fabric, it is our nurses as frontline workers, who care and instil hope in the minds of the patients,” said Deputy President Mabuza.

In line with the 2020 theme of ‘Nursing the world to health’, Deputy President Mabuza lauded the meaningful role played by nurses in the fight against COVID-19, HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis (TB) in the face of current unprecedented workload of tracing, testing and treating patients with COVID-19, while also keeping with other essential health services.

The Deputy President called on South Africans to celebrate nurses as unsung heroes who risk their lives in the frontline of the fight against the virus.

Through SANAC, he called on all South Africans to screen for HIV and TB so that they may be put on treatment and as such, they would not be worse off should they be infected by COVID-19.

Equally, he implored those that are already on treatment for HIV and TB to continue with their treatment uninterrupted so that their bodies can withstand the infection should they get infected with COVID-19.

“This is an opportune moment for all South Africans to know their status so that we take the necessary actions about our life,” he said.

The Deputy President called on citizens to work together as partners, to contribute in the fight against this battle through ensuring that:

  • Everyone knows their health status;
  • Trace, find, diagnose and place on treatment the missing TB patients;
  • Intensify the fight against stigma and discrimination against those infected with TB, HIV; and extend our support to those testing positive to COVID-19 virus.

“We further call on all our people across the country, to observe this important day, International Nurses Day, by expressing messages of gratitude to all our nurses who are at the frontline of our health care service in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Deputy President Mabuza. -SAnews.gov.za

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.