Our Florence Nightingales

Appreciate contribution of nurses


Nurses Day was celebrated on May 16, 2006.It passed quietly without any pomp and fanfare unlike Teachers Day.

To commemorate the occasion Health Minister Datuk Chua Soi Lek talks about the poor standard of nursing care in public hospitals and the measures he would take to remedy the pathetic situation.

Undeniably there is a decline in the quality of nursing care over the years. This is mainly due to the loss of vocation in the profession. Nursing the sick and the dying with empathy is not glamorous and unless one has the vocation she will not be able to emulate Florence Nightingale.

From the time our children step into school they are taught just to excel in studies and nothing else as becoming rich is the ultimate goal in life. Good virtues are not emphasized as they are irrelevant to present day success. In fact good values are a hindrance to material success today. In such an environment we cannot expect to cultivate the right attitudes for becoming a nurse.

Whatever their shortcomings, our nurses in general need to be praised and appreciated for their invaluable services to the community. There are still many nurses with a passion for helping the sick and we must salute them. We hope they can act as a catalyst to stimulate others in the profession.

All of us would need their services at some time or another. Even the richest and most powerful could be suddenly reduced to a helpless invalid by disease and become totally dependent on these poor nurses. They may not be our relatives or friends but are the ones always with us day and night, not only carrying strict medical treatment but also attending our calls of nature. To an extent we surrender our pride and dignity to them. Their nursing care contributes a great deal to our speedy physical and mental recovery.

Most of our nurses work under very adverse, unfriendly and stressful conditions. Very often they are managed in a regimental manner where dissent is very not tolerated by the superiors. They are forced to accept unfair decisions regarding work shifts, leave and overtime without protest.

The hospital management must realize that if they want their nurses to be patients-caring they too should care for their nurses. It’s always a mutual undertaking. In this respect I fully agree that making nurses more patient-friendly also means that hospitals will have to become more nurse-friendly.

Dr.Chris Anthony