Nurses – healthcare’s unsung heroes
PETALING JAYA: It’s a toast to the many a Florence Nightingale in our midst.
As the world marks International Nurses Day on May 12, nurses here who tirelessly provide care for patients are being celebrated.
The day marks the birthday of Nightingale – an English woman who pioneered modern nursing.
Universiti Malaya Specialist Centre (UMSC) nursing director Zurainawaty A. Rahman said nurses are the unsung heroes in healthcare facilities, often unnoticed but vital for patient care.
She talked of how nurses are the first point of contact for patients, and often have to be the one to listen to the patient’s grouses.
“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.
“Everything they are unhappy with, they will throw to the nurses first,” she said.
Nurses expend a lot of time and energy to care for patients, she said, and nurses often take on graveyard shifts or clock in overtime.
Some nurses, she said, have even left the profession due to the stress and frustration the job entails.
However, she said the heavy responsibility and sacrifices were worth it when they receive a word of thanks from their patients.
“For us, even a small thank you goes a long way because in the end, we are here to serve the patients.
“Not all patients are difficult. There are many patients who compliment the nurses,” she told reporters at the Nurses Day 2019 luncheon held by UMSC yesterday.
The event was to show appreciation to their nursing staff in conjunction with International Nurses Day, themed “Nursing: The Balance of Mind, Body and Spirit” this year.
At the luncheon, the nurses were feted and entertained, with lucky draws for prizes and performances by the nurses themselves.
Awards were also given for the best performance and the best dressed guest.
UMSC chief executive Azhar Harun was also present.
Source : TheStar
