Nurses have given us so much – they deserve our wholehearted support

Most people, at some point in their lives, have needed a nurse. They are there at births and deaths, and at difficult times in between. They care for us when we are sick and help us get back on our feet again. They’re the world’s largest group of health professionals, an absolutely essential part of every health service around the world – and we celebrate them each year, on 12th May, International Nurses Day. Of course nurses face many different challenges. Some are forced to work in the most difficult and trying circumstances imaginable, putting themselves in great personal danger in order to save the lives of others. In Syria, an airstrike hit Aleppo’s al-Quds hospital, killing staff and patients alike. Over 700 medical professionals have died in Syria since the start of the conflict, including many nurses. Wherever there is conflict there will be nurses saving lives and providing care and comfort for those in incredible pain. Indeed, the reason why International Nurses Day is celebrated today is because Florence Nightingale – perhaps history’s most famous wartime nurse – was born on this day. Yet it’s not just warzones where nurses put their lives on the line. Others put themselves at risk in other ways, like those who travelled from around the world to fightWest Africa’s recent Ebola outbreak, looking after those in the direst need as they were ravaged by a cruel and highly contagious virus. Some of those nurses succumbed to the virus themselves – maki...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: General secretary's blog News nurse nurses nursing Source Type: news