Nurses’ association holds grand reunion
Improving nursing care to be looked at
Stabroek News
August 5, 2002
For the first time ever, the Guyana Nurses Association yesterday hosted a grand reunion of nurses in the diaspora at Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel.
Addressing the gathering, Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy urged that the nursing profession increase its efforts to add to its scientific knowledge through research and publications.
The event, which saw a large turnout by Guyanese nurses from all parts of the world, is in the form of a three-day conference with the aims of reuniting former colleagues, sharing of experiences, reviewing current nursing practices in Guyana and elsewhere, assessing ways of making meaningful contributions to health and nursing care in Guyana and identifying means of improving the standards of nursing care delivery in Guyana.
While the first day took the form of a brunch and a ceremony spiced with dances and songs performed by nurses, the second day will see the nurses visiting hospitals and other health care institutions and the third and final day will see a educational seminar and workshop, a closing ceremony, awards presentations and a dinner and dance.
Ramsammy said despite all the problems, the country has had its share of successes and he singled out some of the successes in the health sector.
These include reduced maternal mortality from more than 30 per 10,000 to less than 12 per 10,000 deliveries, reduced infant mortality from about 43 per 1,000 to about 26 per 1,000, reduced malnutrition, greater than 90% immunisation and expansion of the range of vaccinations.
While all of the above listed achievements saw resounding applause from the nurses there was none when the minister said that despite what people might think Guyana’s blood supply is as safe as any other in the Caribbean.
The safety of Guyana’s blood supply has come under scrutiny after a five-year-old girl apparently contracted the deadly HIV virus through a blood transfusion.
The minister has since said that although the donor of the blood died at age thirty-three there was no record that he died from AIDS, the disease that the HIV virus causes.
However, he has promised that his ministry will take full responsibility for the child’s medical care.
The minister reminded the nurses that they live in a world of dramatic changes. He pointed out the demands made by modern lifestyles, global economics, complex technology, health care systems in turmoil, changing demographics and new and urgent health care needs.
He added that there is a growing number of seemingly insurmountable problems such as HIV/AIDS and the growing recognition that mental health is the world’s number one cause of morbidity.
The minister said that development can no longer be seen from the perspective of dollars and cents adding that well established economic principles are challenged by the growing recognition that investment in health is an economic imperative.
Ramsammy urged the nurses to be cognisant during the conference of new trends in nursing as a profession, how societal changes affect health needs and new developments in health care delivery systems.
President of the nurses association, Audrey Corry said that the association celebrates its anniversary in the month of August and this year’s is its 74th.
She said that while the association’s achievements might not be “prominent” it has organised many programmes to help nurses to be more competent and assertive.
Corry said one problem the local health system faces is the fact that so many nurses go abroad. She cushioned this by stating that the nurses usually offer tremendous help to their colleagues back home. (Samantha Alleyne)