The Unisa Department of Health Studies, in the College of Human Sciences, will in solidarity join millions of people worldwide to celebrate nurses and this International Nurses Day, 12 May 2020.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) Executive Board has designated 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and Midwife in honour of the 200^th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale.

This is especially apposite during the COVID-19 crisis, where nurses are at the forefront of the crisis and serve as the backbone of the profession, often at great cost to themselves and their families. The South African Nursing Council (SANC) notes that the nurses have never been thrown into the spotlight the way they are now, and have never been needed more. "Daily, we are faced with stories of nurses’ compassion, selfless acts, courage and dedication in the midst of this crisis."

The SANC-approved theme - appreciating the role of nurses in society - carries even more value during the COVID-19 outbreak, as the value of nurses and nursing becomes paramount in our fight for survival.

Nursing is a noble profession that requires the highest degree of professionalism, dedication and care. The health system cannot function without nursing as its backbone. But the stress that nurses work under daily cannot be underestimated, especially during this pandemic.

Sizo Mchunu, SANC Registrar and CEO, says that the council acknowledges the efforts and sacrifices made by nurses daily, and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. "This is the Year of the Nurse in so many ways. We urge nurses and employers to remember that their health and safety are of key importance in the fight against this pandemic. We wish the nurses in South Africa a memorable International Nurses Day. Let us keep alive the words by the late Florence Nightingale: 'For the sick it is important to have the best'."

Click here for more information from the International Council of Nurses.

* Compiled by Rivonia Naidu-Hoffmeester, Communications and Marketing Specialist, College of Human Sciences & Sharon Farrell, Editor, Department of Institutional Advancement