(Photo by Gallo Images/Sharon Seretlo)
International Nurses Day 2021: ‘A voice to lead, a vision for future healthcare’
Today, on International Nurses Day, we remember the dedication and sacrifice of our healthcare workers all in the name of saving lives.
(Photo by Gallo Images/Sharon Seretlo)
It’s that time of the year again, where we mark International Nurses Day and for good reason. Our healthcare workers have not only nursed the nation back to good health under “normal” circumstances, but they have taken up the frontline during an unprecedented pandemic and risked infection, all in the name of saving lives. So today, we salute them and thank them for their noble sacrifice.
INTERNATIONAL NURSES DAY 2021: WHY DO WE CELEBRATE ON 12 MAY?
Well, according to the SA government, International Nurses Day is celebrated annually on 12 May due to the anniversary of the founder of modern-day nursing, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War, in which she organised care for wounded soldiers.
THIS YEAR’S THEME
According to the National Department of Health, the International Nurses Day 2021 assumes great significance to express our deep gratitude for nurses and health workers around the world. The theme for the 2021 is Nurses: A Voice to Lead – A vision for future healthcare.
GIVING CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE
As the largest health care profession in the world, nurses are key to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
“So nurses are particularly well placed and often the most innovative in reaching underserved and disadvantaged populations. Nurses are educated to understand the complex nature of maintaining health and wellness, and the impact of psychosocial and socioeconomic factors such as poverty, unemployment and ethnicity,” SA government said in a statement.
“They see the context for wellbeing and accordingly act in way to reach beyond the immediate presenting problems,” it added.
HEALTHCARE WORKERS CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL NURSES DAY 2021
It’s safe to say that the hashtag InternationalNursesDay2021 has taken up residence on the Twitter trends list on Wednesday. Under the hashtag, healthcare workers have been posting pictures of themselves and their colleagues to mark the special occasion.
This time last year Health Minister Zweli Mkhize urged us all to remember those nurses who put their lives on the line every day to fight COVID-19 and the nurses who put our safety before their family’s. “We appreciate you,” he said.
The presidency is yet to release a statement on Wednesday to mark International Nurses Day, however, here’s what President Cyril Ramaphosa had to say back in 2020, nearly three months into the pandemic.
“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.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa
