Dear Editor,
Florence Nightingale arguably initiated the nursing movement in Europe. Since that time, thousands of women and men have chosen to devote their working lives to nursing. There is no longer any doubt that as the care provider closest to the in-patient, the outpatient and the patient attending health centres throughout Guyana, the nurse, patient care assistant and nursing assistant are now an integral part of the professional health care team and not just glorified boilers of water, removers of stitches, appliers of band-aids and bandages, or those ordered to pass this or pass that.
As nurses they have carved out for themselves and accepted the responsibilities of true professionals; they have demanded the right to be treated as such and in fact it has become increasingly clear that they rightfully refuse to accept anything less. As a consequence, healthcare institutions are increasingly being forced to discard long-held assumptions – including the one that nurses are ineligible to raise their immediate families without giving up their careers; this is now being accommodated. Policies giving nurses more input into patient assessment and appropriate care are rapidly being developed and widely implemented. In the not too distant future one can reasonably forecast that nurses will be provided access to legal education and legal counsel.
Finally, based on respect and trust, systems have also been implemented to encourage nurses to enter into frank discussions regarding concerns about total patient care without antagonism, fear of threats or repercussions from physicians and other health professionals.
Nurses in Guyana have for decades served their employers, their patients and their communities well. This letter takes the opportunity to thank and acknowledge Guyana’s nurses, an increasingly valuable resource in the provision of healthcare.
Yours faithfully,
George Munroe
CEO (rtd) GPHC
