CIBITOKE May 16th (ABP) – The International Nurses Day, 2019 edition, organized by the National Union of Paramedical and Public Health Support Workers (SYNAPA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health and the Fight against AIDS, was celebrated on Sunday May 12, 2019, at the headquarters of the Cibitoke province (north-west of Burundi) under the theme “the nursing profession, a path made to direct, health for all”.
On the occasion of the 54th anniversary of the International Nurses Day, the national representative of SYNAPA, Mr. Mélance Hakizimana, indicated that the date of May 12th corresponds to the birth of Mrs. Florence Nightingale, a British nurse, pioneer of modern nursing and the use of statistics in the field of health. She had been characterized in her profession by bravery, love towards the sick and her job to make it her vocation, said the SYNAPA chairman. He called on the paramedical staff to self-evaluate to become a pillar of the life of the Burundian people, to work tirelessly like Florence Nightingale for the good health of the people. He gave pieces of advice to nurses who do not perform well their worthy profession, and those who agree to be baffled by bad politicians. He asked them to follow their pioneer instead and practice medical deontology instead of working as employees.
Mr. Hakizimana did not forget to talk about the challenges facing their profession in Burundi, including the lack of medical staff in health care facilities, which causes nurses to be overburdened; the lack of medical equipment; contagious diseases; the basic salary of nurses which remains very small, with repercussions on the pension after the service; the nursing fund, which is slow to be set up; and threats of transfer or dismissal.
The Assistant Minister in charge of public health, Dr. Joselyne Nsanzerugeze, congratulated the nurses and invited them to self-assess to correct the shortcomings in order to follow the model of their pioneer. She encouraged the nurses in their noble mission and invited them to raise awareness of the community about preventive health and to implement government programs and projects.
Note that the ceremonies of the day, which brought together representatives of nurses from all over the country, ended with the sharing of a drink.
