Solidarity honours nursing staff as stars
“The profession as a whole consists of nursing stars, and we want to acknowledge every VerpleegSTER’s indispensable role in our society and say thank you for the tremendous sacrifices they make every day.”
The Solidarity Nursing Guild gave recognition to the nursing profession during a gala on Friday evening by presenting awards to the winners of the “VerpleegSTER” (Nursing Star) of the year competition.
Henru Krüger, professional guild sector head, said the Nursing Guild aimed to start a new tradition by holding an annual competition countrywide where nurses have the opportunity to be nominated by their colleagues or members of the public as VerpleegSTER of the year.
“The top 10 nurses were honoured at a gala event which was held at WNNR. The purpose was to give recognition to nurses, but also to make the public aware of the importance of this profession within society and to cultivate a new appreciation for it.
“The profession as a whole consists of nursing stars, and we want to acknowledge every VerpleegSTER’s indispensable role in our society and say thank you for the tremendous sacrifices they make every day.”
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He said there are so many days that they don’t even have time for tea or when taking lunch is a luxury. They are there for the patients, to hold their hands when loved ones cannot. Therefore, they deserve to be honoured.
This initiative by the Nursing Guild came about because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to Krüger, the courage and dedication with which nurses work every day were highlighted, and the important role of nursing staff in the community was accentuated.
He further emphasised that these “highly trained and qualified professionals are a national asset to our healthcare system”.
Colleagues, as well as the public, were allowed to nominate nursing staff after which the top 10 were determined by a public voting process. The top 10 were then named, after which the top three winners were crowned at the gala evening. The winner was determined by the most votes.
The winners and prizes were as follows:
1st place: Henriette Harris from Life Cosmos Hospital in Witbank
2nd place: Alta Claudine Matthee – Mediclinic Kloof Hospital in Pretoria
3rd place: Yolande Durant – Matlosana Medical Health Services in Klerksdorp
First prize: a weekend getaway for four people at Kokoriba Game Reserve to the value of R3 000, as well as a cash prize of R7 000.
Second prize: a beauty and skincare gift voucher to the value of R2 000, as well as a cash prize of R3 000.
Third prize: a Takealot gift voucher worth R2 500.
Harris, A&E Unit manager at Cosmos Life Hospital in Witbank, has been in the nursing field for the past 28 years.
She said it came as a surprise to have been chosen as the first nurse to win this competition.
“It is truly a great honour and privilege. I don’t think the Nursing Guild realises what this competition meant for nurses,” she said.
“The past two years have been hard and emotional for all of us, we faced a lot of challenges,” she said.
Harris said nurses appreciated being noticed for their hard work.
“Of course, I appreciated it when colleagues and management nominated me. The biggest honour nurses can receive, however, is being appreciated by the community they serve, because one cares about others.
“As a nurse, one also cares for patients and their family members by having empathy and supporting them emotionally.”
Harris said her mother passed away when she was in matric. She became a nurse after she cared for her mother, who had been bedridden for six years, then.
“It never crossed my mind to do anything else than caring for people, supporting them, assisting them and loving them in their hour of need.
“I hope my star will continue to shine bright for many years to come.”
Krüger said those wonderful frontline healthcare workers deserve endless appreciation and support for their selfless dedication.
“Through this initiative, we can to some extent thank the nurses who have touched the lives of their colleagues and the public. They did not choose this profession for the salary but to serve others. We salute each of them and thank them from the bottom of our hearts,” Krüger concluded.
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