I am very glad to be with you today to honour and pray for this important cadre of health workers, the nurses of our country.
As a professional nurse myself and a former leader of National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu), a union representing the interests of nurses, I am very excited by the recognition that you are giving to the nurses of our country today.
The successful implementation of many of the health programmes in our country is dependent on the nurses. They lead the prevention interventions against HIV infection and vaccine-preventable diseases and provide health education. Most of primary healthcare facilities, which are the entry point to our health system, are run by nurses. They provide care and treatment to patients admitted in our hospitals. The point really is, we cannot deliver health services to our people without the dedicated work of the nurses of our country. Nurses are the backbone of our health system.
It is for that reason that on 12 May, South Africa joined the rest of the world in celebrating the International Nurses Day. The date, as you may know, coincides with the birth of Florence Nightingale, who is widely considered the founder of modern nursing profession. We use this day to honour the committed and dedicated work done by nurses at public and private health facilities. This year's theme for this year’s International Nurses day was: Delivering Quality, Serving Communities
Our communities greatly rely on nurses at clinical facilities around the world, as they give hope to the sick and injured in hospitals and clinics throughout the country. In celebrating the day, we should draw the attention of our people to the invaluable role nurses play in delivering quality healthcare to the community. We should salute them and celebrate those who contribute so much of themselves to improving the health and lives of others in need.
I appreciate that you have organised this prayer service for our nurses. They really need our prayers to face the daily difficulties of their work. Let us pray that they withstand the heavy work pressures and other difficulties they face in saving lives and promoting good health amongst our people. Let us pray for the recovery of those who have been exposed to tuberculosis (TB) and other infections as a result of occupational exposure.
In my current capacity in government, I remain very much interested in this section of our health professionals. Firstly, this is because the majority of nurses are women and our Ministry has to ensure that the various challenges facing working class women are attended to in programmes of government.
Secondly, one of the three outcome areas that are in my performance agreement signed with the President is promoting long and healthy life for all South Africans. You will know that poverty continues to bear a disproportionately female face. Maternal and child mortality are still at a high level and women are more likely to be infected with HIV and affected by AIDS than men.
My Ministry will be working with the Department of Health to ensure that government delivers on this key outcome area of a long and healthy life for all South Africans.
We will be utilising the opportunity of the review of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in July this year to ensure that there is stronger focus in reducing poverty and improving the health status of women, children and persons with disabilities. The Ministry for Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities therefore fully supports the HIV testing initiative as well as the immunisation campaign currently underway. We want to ensure that women, childrenand persons with disabilities participate in their numbers to protect theirhealth. All other organisations, including churches and other faith based groups are encouraged to support this campaign and encourage theirconstituencies to participate in the HIV testing campaign.
I believe that nurses are central to delivering on this outcome area as they are responsible for providing HIV tests and administering vaccines. They are responsible for antenatal care and delivery of many babies. They are therefore central in ensuring success of the efforts to reduce maternal deaths, to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV and improve child survival.
So let us pray together this morning and provide support to nurses to enable our government to deliver on the commitment to improve the health of our nation. They have dedicated their lives to this noble profession. They most often work under difficult circumstances to deliver health to our people. Let us support them where they falter.
Most of all, let us appreciate the great contribution they are making to improving the health our population. The success of our nation economically and otherwise depends on building a healthy population today and for generations to come.
Thank you for organising this day and I am sure all nurses gathered here appreciate it.
Thank you.
Source: Department of Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities
