Nurses were celebrated for their contributions to world health on International Nurses Day on Thursday.
Provincial Health MEC Professor Nomafrench Mbombo says the theme for 2022 was Nurses: A Voice to Lead - Invest in Nursing and respect rights to secure global health.
“I thank the nurses for their dedication and hard work more so during these challenging times,” said Mbombo at an event at Groote Schuur Hospital.
“We are in a social war and also the issues of the economic wars and we are absorbing all those.
“Some people come to the hospital when they are not ill, their families dump them, the people would say, ‘we are going to have a party this weekend and ouma needs someone to take care of her’ and the nurses will have to take her in.”
Operations Manager in Nursing and Radiology, Yunus Tiry, says he wishes people would celebrated nurses more.
“Be kind and show empathy towards nurses and I think a lot more could be done to celebrate nurses. We are the backbone; the pillar of healthcare.”
Advanced Midwife Sister Lizeka Dana says the day is also dedicated to Florence Nightingale.
“On this day we commemorate our modern birth mom, Florence, because this is her birthday.
“She transformed nursing to what it is today and also we celebrate ourselves as nurses, this is to bring awareness to the role that we play in our communities. People usually underestimate the importance of our role.
“This is not just a job to me, it is a calling.”