IHK honours nurses, the unsung heroes of the healthcare system

Each time all of us take a visit to the healthcare facility, our first encounter is always with the nurses.

Right from the registration to triage, all the way to the doctor’s room or theatre or admission room, nurses always are with us at every step of the way to interact, watch, monitor our health progress and take care of us.

Yet they usually go unnoticed or unrecognised by both patients and institution.

In order to appreciate them, the International Hospital Kampala yesterday, organized a special event to honour the nurses for their commitment and tireless efforts in providing healthcare service.

This was in commemoration of this year International Nursing Day whose theme is “Nursing: The Balance of Mind, Body and Spirit”.

The day will be celebrated on May 12 worldwide.

The day marks the birthday of Florence Nightingale – an English woman who pioneered modern nursing.

Bryan Mayanja, director of Nursing at the International Hospital Kampala said despite the fact that nursing is a vital element in the healthcare industry, nurses are often the least appreciated and recognized heroes in healthcare facilities.

Mayanja said at every hospital, clinic or dispensary, nurses are the first point of contact for patients, and often have to be the ones to listen to the patient’s complaints, abuses and grievances.

“When patients are admitted to hospitals, they are out of their routine; they are not well physically, so everything is unfit for their needs. Whenever the food is tasteless or late, the ones who get blamed are the Nurses who are with them 24/7. And every time patients are unhappy with medical services, they will throw their frustrations to the Nurses first," Mayanja noted.

Esme Keyser, a Nurse and Chief Operational Officer at IHK in an interview noted that, nurses expend a lot of time and energy to care for patients and often take on graveyard shifts or clock in overtime to ensure that patients’ needs are taken care of.

“Our nurses go the extra mile to provide patients with care. They serve our hospital daily, under challenging circumstances, and continue to be a beacon of light despite the pressing professional challenges. Nursing is the engine room of health services in this country as Nurses are essential stakeholders to transform healthcare," Keyser said.

At the luncheon, the nurses were given gifts, thanked and motivated by specialists including the Medical Director Dr. Michael Oling, the Head of Peadiatrics Dr. Shiba Kituuka Nahurira among others.