By Francis Ekongang Nzante
The Cameroon Nurses Association have rounded up activities commemorating the International Nurses Week. These activities took place mostly in Bamenda, the National Head Quarters of CNA and in Douala the seat of the Littoral Bureau of CNA.
The Cameroon Nurses Association was created in 1999 to bring together all nurses in Cameroon under one umbrella. The aim was to make them work in harmony and to improve upon their capacities. From it’s inception in 1999 up till date, the Cameroon Nurses Association holds Annual Conferences under various themes and these themes are always indicated by the International Nursing Council. This is the supreme body that regulates the activities of Nurses all over the world.
In a press briefing with Mr Nkwain Joseph, the National President of Cameroon Nurses Association, he said this year’s theme is “Nurses, a voice to lead. A vision for future Health Care.” CNA he intimated has been very conscious and started to prepare for the International Nurses Week as early as February. “That is why they held the 8th Scientific Conference in Bamenda on the 26th and on the 27th of February. That was still in line with the activities of the International Nurses Week. As far as the activities are concerned ,the different hospitals and different branches of the Cameroon Nurses Association organised some activities. The Douala branch of CNA actually organised a series of workshops in the build up to the International Nurses Week. These workshops were all centered around this year’s theme as indicated by the International Nursing Council.”
Nurses at the Regional Hospital in Bamenda just like in some District Hospitals also organised activities to commemorate the week.
Commenting on the Central
message in this year’s theme, Mr Nkwain Joseph said the theme simply emphasised the leading role that nurses will play in health care services on the global stage. “Without the nurse, the Health Team is incomplete. You need the nurse, you need the Medical Doctor, the Physiotherapist, the dietician, etc. You need all of them and the nurse is like the mother of the Health Care Team because the nurse is permanently present. So for health services to be improved upon, nurses should be well trained from now. Nurses should be empowered through workshops to empower them for future Health Care because as years go bye, challenges increase.”
He said the COVID-19 Pandemic for instance has proven to be a great challenge to nurses adding that it has shown the urgent need for nurses to be better trained to provide better health care to the population.
Mr Nkwain in a bid to distinguish nursing from other professions said “nursing from the days of Florence Nightingale who was the founder of modern medicine has always been a Vocation. When she went to the Crimean War she treated the British soldiers and other soldiers who were there and brought in that aspect of caring to nursing. We can call her the lady with the lamp because she used that lamp to take care of people. All nursing today is based on her philosophy: that you look at a person as a whole, that is from the biological aspect, the psychological, the social and the spiritual aspect. If you look at a patient in this manner, then you will give him complete care. Most of the time, focus is centered only on physical care.”
The CNA National boss said Nurses should make sure they are up to date on information related to nursing. The International Nurses Week was certainly one of such opportunities that gave them avenues to useful latest information in the domain of nursing.
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