St Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association celebrates Int’l Nurses Day

St Lucia: The Saint Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association celebrate International Nurses Day. In Saint Lucia, Paul Collymore, President of the Saint Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association, has always been fortunate for and grateful to all our nurses who have rallied and supported us year after year. Especially over the course of the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the nurses have remained steadfast to the hallmarks of their profession as they have done so despite facing many seemingly insurmountable challenges.

 

Therefore, the Saint Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association (SLHTA) remains grateful to all the nurses for their unwavering support – not only to the hospitality sector but also to the wider Saint Lucian community. The St Lucian authorities express sincere gratitude to our nurses for the seemingly endless hours they put in, including working overtime or during their lunch breaks, just so that their patients are taken care of. In our estimation, nurses, have been among the most outstanding during this crippling pandemic, so we hail medical staff as heroes.

 

St Lucia will continue to salute our nurses for all the sacrifices they have, and continue to make, that create a difference in the many lives under their care. That is why the SLHTA, through the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), had provided material support, including in the form of meals and employment, to our nurses at a time when the pandemic was most critical. The team members within the hospitality sector have also publicly and privately supported our nurses in both tangible and intangible ways.

 

As the world celebrates International Nurses Day on May 12, the SLHTA joins in the celebrations by highlighting dedicated and hardworking nurses. The government recognize that our nurses do not have the luxury to debate the obvious fact that their roles are important to general healthcare. For that, all say thank you.

 

International Nurses Day is celebrated across the world every May 12, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, born on May 12, 1820, in Italy

; Nightingale was an English social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. She came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War, in which she organized to care for wounded soldiers at Constantinople. She died on August 13, 1910, but has left an indelible mark for other nurses to follow.

 

The theme for this year’s International Nurses Day is “Nurses: A Voice to Lead – Invest in Nurses and Respect Rights to Secure Global Health”. As an umbrella association representing a wide cross-section of stakeholders in the local hospitality sector, St Lucia knows how important proper healthcare is for both guests and team members.

 

Hardly a day goes by without guests or team members at various hotels and other hospitality properties thanking the intervention of the trusted nurse at our on-site nursing stations for providing them with the care they need. Such excellent care and service do not go unnoticed. Therefore, the SLHTA will continue to provide assistance to the St Lucia healthcare system, thereby ensuring that citizens and guests have access to proper healthcare when they need it. The government believe the end result is worth the investment.

 

Finally, St Lucia hopes that the important work that our nurses provide inspires other residents to get into the noble profession. Like Florence Nightingale lighting the dark night with her lit lantern, we trust that the bright smiles will light up the lives of future generations of Saint Lucians and the reassurance our hardworking and caring nurses provide.

 

On behalf of the Executive and team members of the Saint Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association, Collymore wished all nurses a safe and Happy International Nurses Day. Continue to shine that bright light on our lives.