– promises gov’t will make more scholarships available to them

By Naomi Parris

THE streets of Georgetown came alive on Thursday as nurses from all across Guyana, proudly clad in their uniforms, marched through the city’s streets to usher in International Year of the Nurse and Midwife.

Held this year under the theme, ‘Nurses and Midwives Nursing the World to Health’, the march was then followed by a formal launch of the year-long observation at the Regency Suites Hotel on downtown Hadfield Street, where Minster of Public Health Volda Lawrence in her feature address spoke glowingly about how invaluable nurses and midwives are to the country’s health system.

Noting that nurses and midwives are the pillars on which the system stands, Minister Lawrence reasoned that seeing that they make up more than 50% of the Ministry of Health’s human resources, they ought to be recognised and celebrated.

“My dear nurses and midwives,” she began, “it was Gerald C. Eakedale who posited that recognition is the greatest motivator. I endorse his statement, and am delighted that in recognition of your sterling contributions, dedication and commitment, this entire year, 2020, has been designated in your honour to highlight what you have done and are doing for the national development… I therefore wish to take this opportunity to highlight and applaud you for your notable contributions to Guyana’s health sector.”

DUE RECOGNITION

And, noting that nurses and midwives are the ones who have helped keep vaccine- preventable diseases like measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), polio, and tetanus in check here, thereby making Guyana one of the top countries in the hemisphere where vaccine-preventable diseases are concerned, Minister Lawrence said that it is also to nurses and midwives that we here in Guyana owe a debt of gratitude for the key role they play in the early detection and prevention of cervical and other types of cancer, through their involvement in the various health-screening programmes and other interventions.

Hastening to reassure those in the audience that greater effort will be made by the government to ensure that nurses across Guyana are getting the attention and recognition that they rightly deserve,
Minister Lawrence said, “I am happy to say that this government has significantly increased our allocation to health budgets from $28B in 2016 to $35.9B in 2019… It is the government’s plan, through the ministry, to continue our investment in nursing and midwifery.”

MORE SCHOLARSHIPS
She also announced that one of the government’s goals for 2020 is to share more scholarships with nurses and midwives to enhance their competencies to provide quality care and services.

“We are looking forward in the not-too-distant future to our University-direct entry nursing programme; a master’s degree in nursing right here in Guyana,” she said, adding: “Later this year, eight of our nurses are expected to graduate at the master’s level from the University of São Paulo in Brazil [in 2020].”

Speaking on behalf of the World Health Organisation (WHO) as well as the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) as their resident representative, Dr. William Adu-Krow, one of whose forte is Public Health Management, made the point that nurses and midwives are usually the first and last person one sees when they either enter or leave this world, which is why PAHO is so dedicated to ensuring that this category of ‘first responders’ as such persons are sometimes called in the medical profession, get the recognition they deserve for their dedication and hard work in ensuring that every patient that crosses their path is well taken care of.
“In many countries,” Dr Adu-Krow said, “nurses and midwives are the first and often the only point of care in health facilities and their communities. Compassion and professionalism characterise the work of nursing and midwife professionals; their contribution is essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”

Noting that it is for the foregoing reasons that the 72nd World Health Assembly has designated the year 2020 International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, Dr Adu-Krow said:
“PAHO has committed to dedicate important efforts to highlight the enormous sacrifices of nurses and midwives in caring for people, and the vital contribution they provide in the quest to achieve universal health coverage in Guyana.”

In closing, he noted that Guyana’s doubling of the size of the workforce in its Health Sector since 2010 is not only remarkable, but also shows the strong commitment of the Government of Guyana to improving the health of its population.