Own Correspondent
12th February 2020
The Botswana Nurses UNION(BNU) have joined the World Health Assembly(WHA) in celebrating the year 2020 as the International year of the Nurse and the Midwife marking 200 years since the birth of Florence Nightingale, an icon of modern day nursing.
Botswana will also begin launching the Florence Nightingale roving lamp to mark the beginning of celebrations in February 2020 which will travel to all parts of the country. The First Nursing and Midwifery strategy is also scheduled to be launched on nurses day in Maun – May 2020.
“This strategy will carry through the vision of the Nursing Now initiative and reshape nursing and midwifery professions going forward. This should be an exciting Year for the Nurses and Midwifery profession and will go a long way in raising the profile of nursing and highlight the importance and the need for more well educated nurses, investing in recruitment and retention of nurses, ensuring a development path for nurses for the attainment of a highly effective healthcare system,” said Solomon Sekwakwa, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Wellness.
He said, “Nurses are at the heart of mortality health care teams and form the majority of the Ministry of Health and wellness workforce. By enhancing and promoting their role, countries across the world will improve health outcomes for all people.”
Nurses and midwives comprise 70% of professional staff and have a universal presence estimated at 20 million. They are however facing daily challenges locally in delivering quality health services to clients like shortage of drugs, dilapidated houses and issues around lack of accommodation.
“An example is we have seen just two days back that issue of accommodation in Kang facility will be a thing of the past come end of March 2020 and with our Finance Minister having recently given our Ministry the third largest share of the recurrent budget our Ministry will act swiftly in ensuring that maintenance is done starting with Maun and going to other areas countrywide,” said Obonolo Rahube, President of the Botswana Nurses Union(BONU).
The highlight of celebratory activities will be held on 5th June 2020 in Maun themed ‘Nurses the voice to lead, Nursing the world to health.
