We have completed another week in celebration of our nurses for Nurses Week 2018 and May 12 is International Nurses Day, which marks the anniversary of the birth date of Florence Nightingale, the world’s most famous nurse.
To the unsung Nightingales of Barbados, I send a message of good will, as you toil to maintain health care. Your indispensable contribution and the work that you do requires special recognition and acknowledgment. Nurses can be found practicing right across Barbados, in numerous settings of acute care, long-term (rehabilitative) and preventative care; in public and private institutions, in industries and corporate companies.
The theme this year, set by the International Council of Nurses (ICN) is, Nurses: A Voice to lead – Health is a Human Right.
As we continue in the quest to make this theme realized, not just for access, but quality, Barbados Nurses Association (BNA), will continue to advocate to achieve our mandate of: adequate resources for education and continued training, adequate resources for excellent health care delivery, and adequate resources for nurse remuneration.
Having adequate human resources, (Nursing personnel) will alleviate some of the frustrations experienced by patients & clients in having to wait long hours to be attended, which recently resulted in an incident in one of the clinics.
While we sympathize with our clients and patients, BNA wishes to convey that we hold zero tolerance to any assault on nurses.
I urge nurses everywhere, in all settings, to continue to maintain the highest standard in delivery of nursing care, as laid down by the Caribbean Standards of Nursing Practice and the International Council of Nurses, ensuring that this is done with compassion.
On behalf of the Executive of the Barbados Nurses Association, I wish all nurses of Barbados a productive, fulfilling and enjoyable International Nurses Day, as we thank God for the special gift of nurses and nursing.
C. Joannah Waterman
President
