St Lucia to celebrate International Nurse Day on May 12

St Lucia: The month of May is marked as a Month for Nurses. We celebrate International Midwifery day on May 5 and International Nurses day on May 12, which is a global celebration of the commitment, dedication, devotion, and bravery of nurses worldwide.

These celebrations highlight and bring to focus the valuable contribution of nurses and midwives in the health care journey of our population.

Nurses, including midwives, represent the highest proportion of health care workers globally, and St Lucia is no exception. Nurses are the backbone of the health care systems as they continue to play key roles in health surveillance, disease prevention and management, nursing education, nursing regulation and health promotion. Midwives provide care and support during pregnancy, labour and delivery and play a vital role in ensuring the well-being of mothers and babies.

As nurses and midwives together celebrate International Nurses Day 2022, there is an urgent call for investment in Nursing in line with the theme: “Nurses: A voice to Lead-Invest in nursing and respect rights to global health.” It is the opportune time to translate all acknowledgements of nurses’ dedication, sacrifice and selflessness into governmental support as the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the International Council of Nurses (ICN) call for increased investments into Nursing Education, Nursing Jobs, Nursing Practice and Nursing Leadership amid the growing global crisis of shortage of Nurses.

This year, in keeping with the theme, the Ministry of Health Wellness and Elderly Affairs will conduct a review of the nursing situation in St Lucia and develop a strategic plan to address the growing challenges in education, practice, service delivery, employment, leadership and workforce planning.

As we continue with our celebrations throughout the month of May, the Ministry of Health has taken this opportunity to thank every nurse in St Lucia for your unwavering commitment, professionalism, compassion, dedication to this profession as well as to the health and well-being of our people. Ministry encouraged you to stay steadfast and vigilant as we approached the 6th wave of COVID-19 and invited all Saint Lucians to help celebrate and recognize our nurses as true unsung heroes.