At work and in their communities, nurses stand out as the people on whom society relies in their time of greatest need. This International Nurses Day, 12 May, Netcare pays homage to the nurses who demonstrate their professionalism and compassion in caring for patients all year round.
It is clear that nurses’ caring goes far beyond the requirements on a job description and is not confined to scheduled shifts on a work roster. This is illustrated by a few of the countless selfless acts by Netcare nurses around the country. For example, a Pretoria nurse who is a cancer survivor established a support group to encourage and motivate patients fighting the disease, a KwaZulu-Natal nurse went the extra mile to assist a patient’s family to provide him with the care he needed after being discharged from hospital, and a highly qualified Johannesburg cardiac nurse’s community-mindedness provided school uniforms for underprivileged children: all of these demonstrating care in action.
Enrolled nurse, Njabulo Mncwango of Netcare Parklands Hospital in Durban
Bridgid Pogson, regional nursing services manager of Netcare’s coastal region, expressed gratitude to all the nurses caring for patients in Netcare’s KwaZulu-Natal, Western and Eastern Cape hospitals.
“I would like to recognise the contribution of all our nurses, and highlight one example that was brought to my attention recently. Enrolled nurse, Njabulo Mncwango, who works in the urology ward at Netcare Parklands Hospital, was nursing a patient and in his conversations with the patient’s family it emerged that he lived near the family,” Pogson recounts.
“When the patient was discharged from hospital, the family was given instructions on how to clean the patient’s catheter during his home recovery. However, despite their best efforts, the family found it very difficult and, remembering that nurse Mncwango lived nearby, they decided to call on him and request his help.
“Without hesitation, nurse Mncwango drove to the patient’s house and assisted the patient. He cleaned the catheter and ensured the patient was comfortable, then demonstrated to the family how to perform the necessary care in their home environment.
Enrolled nurse, Njabulo Mncwango of Netcare Parklands Hospital in Durban, went the extra mile to assist a patient's family to provide him with the care he needed after being discharged from hospital.
Enrolled nurse auxiliary, Pinkie Khoza of Netcare Moot Hospital in Pretoria, is a cancer survivor who established a support group to encourage and motivate patients fighting the disease
Registered nurse, Sr Gill Longano of Netcare Sunninghill Hospital in Johannesburg, organised a charitable drive to provide school uniforms for underprivileged children.
“Over and above this, nurse Mncwango took it upon himself to make daily visits to the family to ensure that the catheter was cleaned appropriately until the family was comfortable doing it on their own. We applaud nurse Mncwango for his commitment to ensuring the best possible care for patients, even after discharge. Actions speak louder than words, and this act shows that he truly lives the Netcare core value of care,” she says.
Enrolled nurse auxiliary, nurse Pinkie Khoza of Netcare Moot Hospital in Pretoria
Annemarie Berry, regional nursing services manager of Netcare’s North East region, acknowledged an extraordinary nurse who has demonstrated empathy, courage, initiative and leadership in caring for patients.
“Nurse Pinkie Khoza of Netcare Moot Hospital in Pretoria, was diagnosed with cancer in August 2016 and had to undergo extensive treatment. While the side effects of treatment can be hard to cope with, nurse Khoza remained positive and deeply committed to her duties. In the face of her own difficulties, she was an example to all, and devoted herself to maintaining excellence in her care of patients,” Berry notes.
“In the course of her duties, nurse Khoza came into contact with a number of patients who were undergoing cancer treatment or had been recently diagnosed with various forms of cancer. From her personal experience and on her own initiative, she decided to form a support system for those who were interested. This included organising face-to-face support meetings in her home, which she caters for herself, and establishing a social media group for sharing motivational messages, encouragement and advice with patients undergoing cancer treatment. The passion, enthusiasm and care she has shown make nurse Khoza an inspiration to us all,” Berry says.
Registered nurse, Sr Gill Longano of Netcare Sunninghill Hospital in Johannesburg
Edel Cutler, regional nursing services manager of Netcare’s Gauteng South West region, acknowledged a cardiac-trained registered nurse for the heartwarming care she has shown for underprivileged members of her community.
“Sr Longano is a highly qualified nurse who works in the catheterisation laboratory at Netcare Sunninghill Hospital. While her experience and expertise are an inspiration to many of her colleagues, she has also distinguished herself through her tireless efforts to assist the less fortunate.
“I have heard many stories about Sr Longano’s kind acts, however the one that I would like to share is her recent efforts to provide school uniforms for children from poor households. Sr Longano, who is well known for establishing charitable collections among her colleagues, came across an advert offering highly discounted rates for school uniform shirts and immediately took it upon herself to phone the shop and request that they reserve the 124 remaining shirts for her,” Cutler says.
“She was barely off the phone when she started a collection. In record time she had raised even more money than she needed for the shirts, and was able to buy school shoes with the balance. Sr Longano personally delivered the school uniforms to a church that provides for under-privileged children in the community, and thanks to her caring and the generous contributions of her colleagues, many children had smart new shirts and shoes as they began the new school year.”
Director of nursing and nursing education at Netcare, Shannon Nell, says that nursing is a challenging career requiring dedication and commitment to lifelong learning. “The world over, the theory and practice of nursing are advancing all the time, and nurses need to stay abreast of these advances. There are also many aspects of nursing that one cannot simply learn from a book because the intuitive level of care that career nurses develop is built up through the accumulation of experience,” she says.
“From nurses who are qualified in the most specialised fields to those who are just starting out in their careers, there is always something more to be learnt that will make them better nurses today than they were yesterday – and this is entirely as it should be. The critical decision making and high-level team work involved in nursing means that whilst nursing is a demanding career, but it is certainly one with the richest of rewards,” Nell points out.
“This International Nurses Day, as with every day of the year, we at Netcare are profoundly grateful to have outstanding nurses caring for our patients, not only in terms of the nursing expertise and experience they bring as part of the healthcare teams at their hospitals but also for their true dedication to making a positive difference in the lives of others – both on and off duty,” Nell concluded.
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Issued by: Martina Nicholson Associates (MNA) on behalf of Netcare
Contact: Martina Nicholson, Graeme Swinney, Meggan Saville or Estene Lotriet-Voster
Telephone: (011) 469 3016
Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected]