Netcare nurse from Durban shows that compassion doesn’t end when her shift does
Nurses’ impact on society highlighted on International Nurses Day (12 May)
A nurse from Netcare’s Coastal region recently showed that caring for members of the community is second nature to those in the nursing profession. Jeanette Gilham, an enrolled nurse in the paediatric department at Netcare St Augustine’s Hospital, is one of many nursing staff members who make a meaningful impact on people’s lives, not only in their work environment but also outside of the hospitals where they work.
A few months ago a three-month-old baby boy with cancer and renal failure was admitted to Netcare St Augustine’s Hospital. Due to the nature of the diagnosis, the baby required a procedure that had to be done at another nearby hospital.
Deeply touched by the little boy’s situation and concerned about his 21-year-old mother, Jeanette decided to keep in touch with them and regularly visited them at the other hospital, despite the fact that the baby boy was no longer her patient.
Jeanette knew from her experience as a nurse just how heartbreaking it is for parents when their children are sick, so she was well aware that this young mother needed all the support she could get.
While talking to the baby’s mother during one of her visits, Jeanette became aware that the mother came from a disadvantaged background, even though her son was being treated at a private healthcare facility. Jeanette did not hesitate to buy the baby boy some necessities, such as nappies and cereal, to help ease his mother’s burden, and even went to the extent of taking the mother’s clothes home to have them washed, as she did not want to leave her child’s bedside.
“Many of our nurses at Netcare go beyond the call of duty and truly live our core value of care, both within and outside the hospital. We commend our nurses for their many acts of kindness and compassion,” notes regional director for Netcare’s Coastal region, Ian Goble.
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Issued by: Martina Nicholson Associates (MNA) on behalf of Netcare St Augustine’s Hospital
Contact: Martina Nicholson, Graeme Swinney, Sarah Wilson or Meggan Saville
Telephone: (011) 469 3016
Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], or
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