With International Nurses Day (IND) due to be observed on Tuesday, the President of the Guyana Nurses Association (GNA) is calling on the general public to show appreciation for nurses who continue to work assiduously to provide a high level of health care.
In an interview with this newspaper, GNA President Cleopatra Barkoye explained the significance of IND as well as the importance of appreciating nurses and midwives. “The significance of IND is to celebrate [the work of] nurses [and] their achievements,” she said.
Barkoye noted that over the years, the GNA has been extremely involved in community work. “Over the past few years, the GNA would have gone to various organisations and we would have done teaching, various lectures and radio programmes [in order to] sensitise the public of the importance of health,” she explained.
Barkoye is urging the public to show appreciation to nurses on IND by wearing anything white. Barkoye is also calling on the public to applaud the nurses at 5 pm. “For one minute, you can either blare a siren, toot a horn, ring a bell, blow a whistle or even clap your hands [at five o’clock]. This will show your support for all nurses at midwives on the 12th of May,” she said.
Barkoye further noted that the main focus of the GNA around this time is helping people live happy, healthy lives. “Our focus has always been on others and what we can do for them…we would normally do blood pressure checks in the various communities and various regions and things like that.”
Barkoye, who has been in the profession about 30 years, is calling on the government to ensure that nurses around the country are given the equipment necessary to keep them safe. “We are just asking for protection. Protect us by providing us with the necessary tools that we need to stay safe. Our nurses are fearful,” she emphasised.
The president of the GNA acknowledged that the work of nurses has been heavily underrated for a long time, but is now its true value is now coming to light as a result of the current global pandemic. “People don’t realise that what they are now seeing is what we have been doing for decades,” while lamenting, “It’s just that we are fearful especially since we don’t have the necessary tools to do the best work we were taught to do.”
Barkoye pointed out that there is an urgent need for Personal Protective Equipment, amongst other things to safeguard nurses from contracting prevalent diseases, such as the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
On the other hand, however, Barkoye expressed her heartfelt gratitude to those local partners who have been supporting them throughout the years. She is extremely thankful for those businesses that prioritize nurses and midwives when they come to their stores to make purchases. Barkoye also applauded the general public for adhering to COVID-19 guidelines, and exhorted the public to continue to do so.
International Nurses Day is a day that is set aside annually to celebrate the work, dedication and achievements of nurses across the globe. May 12 is also the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, a nurse who is globally recognised as the founder of modern nursing.
According to the International Council of Nurses (ICN), this year’s celebration is “extra special” because the World Health Organization (WHO) has designated this year as the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, as it marks 200 years since the birth of Nightingale.
