International Nurses' Day Commemorated

Florence Nightingale laid the foundation for professional nursing with the establishment of her nursing school at St Thomas' Hospital in London in 1860. This was the first secular nursing school in the world. The Nursing Pledge taken by new nurses was named in her honour and the annual International Nurses' Day on 12 May is celebrated on her birthday.

This year's theme for International Nurses' Day is "Closing the Gap: Increasing Access and Equity". This year, the department commemorates this important day and will again honour the committed and dedicated work done by nurses in public health facilities through hosting a Nurses' Day at the Nelson' s Creek Wine Farm in the Boland.

Nurses globally are occupied in pioneering performances every day, ensuring important developments in the physical conditions of patients, populations and health systems. Their aid has been a basic foundation of development for healthcare organisations around the globe. They work across our province extensively servicing patients, families, neighbourhoods and other healthcare workers.

Theuns Botha, Western Cape Minister of Health, says, "In this province, half of the workforce of the Western Cape Department of Health is nurses. That means that we are dependent on our nurses in hospitals and health facilities. They don't only play a role to deliver services, they are essential in delivering health services to our people. Our facilities are unable to operate without nurses. Thank you for your significant and irreplaceable role in this country. We salute you".

The Western Cape Department of Health would like to express heartfelt thanks to all nurses in the department for their selfless dedication. While nurses are often thought of as hospital employees, they are also vital to patients and residents of nursing homes, assisted-living centres, clinics, health facilities, schools and colleges.

The essential link between health and the living environment was recognised in 2005 when the World Health Organization (WHO) established the Commission on the Social Determinants of Health to look at what can be done to promote health equity. Nurses have a long track record of recognising the link between health and the environments in which people live and work, as well as a long standing engagement with advocacy, activism and policy development.

This year, the Department commemorates this important day and will again honour the committed and dedicated work done by nurses in public health facilities through hosting a Nurses' Day at the Nelsons Creek Wine farm in the Boland.

We wish to draw attention to the invaluable role nurses play in delivering quality healthcare to the Western Cape community. On this day we salute the nurses of the Western Cape and celebrate those who contribute so much of themselves to improve the health and life quality of others in need.