Twenty retired health workers honoured

More than 20 retired nurses, nursing assistants and community health aides were honoured earlier this week for their contribution to the health care system in St. Vincent and the Grenadines as part of celebrations to mark nurses’ week.

The retirees, current health care givers and family members gathered at the Government House on Monday night, to show appreciation for over 700 collective years of dedicated service.{{more}}

Speaker after speaker at Monday’s cocktail gathering, including the Governor General Sir Frederick Ballantyne, Minister of Health Douglas Slater as well as members of the nursing family, thanked the ladies for their hard work, especially since at the time they started nursing, the health care system was not as it is today.

The speakers also commended the ladies who hail from the far and near regions of the country, for setting and maintaining standards which were handed down to them, and are being adhered to by the current members of the health care society.

One of the nurses honoured at the gathering was Sister Jacqueline King, who is credited with the implementation of the current admissions register that is being used in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Nurses world wide are marking nurses week this week, with tomorrow being declared International Nurses Day. Nurses here will be celebrating the day with a beach picnic at Mt. Wynne.

Earlier this week, the nurses acknowledged the week with presentations by nurses and student nurses, judging of the best ward, a sports day at Victoria Park, Nurses’ Appreciation Day and the Annual General Meeting of the Nurses Association.

Nurses celebrated their week of activities under the theme: “Positive practice environments, quality work places equal quality patient care.”