Nurses by the hundreds held their banners high marching from the Colonial War Memorial Hospital to the Fiji Nursing Association Hall in Suva to commemorate International Nurses Day today.
The theme of this year’s celebration is “Closing the Gap and Improving Access and Equity.”
The annual event commemorates the birth of the nursing profession and the founder of nursing Florence Nightingale.
Director Nursing Silina Ledua who was also chief guest at the celebrations noted that nurses were frontrunners in the delivery of health service.
Nurses are major players in “closing the gap” between people and health services.
“The theme reflects how nurses play a significant role in closing that gap between various population groups in their accessibility and equity in terms of health service,” Ms Ledua said.
“And because we are the biggest work force, we are also present right across the board, 24/7 in terms of our delivery system.
“That is why we play an important role in closing that gap where communities have access to health service through nursing stations, through health centers, through sub-divisional hospitals and even when it comes to the tertiary institutions and divisional hospitals.”
She added the Fijian Government remains committed to the nursing profession, focusing on the various educational needs and capacity building aspects to enhance the nursing career and lift the standards of nursing in the country.
Government is also committed to improving nurses’ working conditions.
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