PHILIPSBURG–In light of International Nurses Day, observed on May 12, Minister of Health Emil Lee commended the country’s nurses for their dedication and commitment to health care.
“The theme for Nurses Day is ‘A voice to lead,’ a theme that I can resonate with and would like to promote within our health care sector.
“I would like to recognise our nurses for their commitment to protecting, promoting, and improving health care for all in our country. Registered nurses form the largest of health care professions. I cannot begin to explain the influence and impact of our nurses in our Public Health strategies. In various sectors, industries and departments our nurses are active and vocal in policy development and implementation.
“I would like to see that recognition of our nurses be promoted as widely as possible. I am proud to say that the work of our nurses in St. Maarten and our local nurses abroad is impactful and influential on a regional and international scale. Our nurses are active in improving access to health care, educating our community members, addressing poverty and nutrition, clean energy, inequality, sustainability and innovation,” said Lee in a statement to the media on Friday.
Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department within the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour VSA, said Friday was the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. Florence was an English social reformer and statistician, and the founder of modern-day nursing.
CPS wished all nurses, especially those working within the Ministry of Public Health – Suzianne Duzong-Davis; Shardina Blomont-Frederick; Ivanca Woodley-Sterling; Claudia Yhan; Edward de Cuba; and Nirmala Vlaun; nurses tasked with the execution and planning of Youth Health Care and the surveillance activities within the Collective Prevention Services – a Happy Nurses Day on May 12.
“On behalf of CPS and the community, we thank CPS’ nurses, no matter the location or the setting, for all their hard work, commitment, initiatives, dedication, and creativity in collectively working to ensure a healthy and protected St. Maarten, by means of preventive information and activities aimed at preventing diseases and enhancing the quality of life.
“Mobilising civil society to make sure that the vaccination coverage is at a level to protect the country against vaccine preventable diseases, and mitigate the spread of communicable diseases as well as to undertake positive healthy lifestyles, are just some of the preventive approaches that are taken by nurses in public health care for a healthy community,” CPS said on Friday.
According to the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO)/World Health Organisation (WHO), PAHO/WHO in the Human Resources Strategy for Access and Universal Health Coverage urges the countries of the region to develop strategies to achieve the maximum deployment of professional competencies, according to appropriate models of coordination and supervision, including the change of tasks and the incorporation of new professional profiles.
PAHO/WHO said nursing can contribute to reducing barriers to access to quality health care equitably, but requires the development of strategies and plans that seek to increase the number of nurses qualified and expand their role in primary health care.
Experiences from other countries show that advanced-practice nurses can improve access to health care in areas with medical deficits, maximise access to primary health care and allow intensive monitoring of patients with chronic diseases.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/76526-minister-lee-commends-nation-s-nurses-today
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