This
year I was so happy to see all the Nursing staff across the hospitals in Bhutan
celebrated the “International Nurses Day” and unlike previous years I learned
that there was an allocation of small budget for the celebration, which indeed
was a great thing for the Nurses and the other staffs as well. I felt this long
before but as always anything good takes time to happen. But in Damphu, I think
I will not be wrong to claim that we initiated this activities way ahead with
the cooperation from the likeminded people. We used to hunt for the best Nurses
among ourselves and appreciate them with a small token, but I missed this year
due to some unavoidable reasons.
As
a nurse I used to feel like celebrating when a very ill clients recovers and
get discharged from hospital, and it is worth celebrating when a neonate are
preterm babies wean out of the incubators. It is quite a horrific and gruesome
experience for all those associated with the tiny clients, doctors, attending
nurses and their parents and relatives going through the ordeal to save the
life. To the nurses getting an IV access is an achievement, to the doctors not
getting night call is an achievement and for the parents to see the babies
holding on to life itself is an achievement.
Each time sick babies get admitted I
used to put a bet to the colleagues, “The moment this baby gets better I will
buy you all Kit Kat chocolates”. It gives such a night mare to attend to the
very sick babies with all those medications, fragile veins, worrisome parents
and overly concerned relatives and friends. We would be juggling between
completing a tasks and reassuring the worried relatives, besides fighting our
own biological needs such as hunger, thirst and a full bladder……………
Getting a day-off during the mid-weeks means
your kids would have gone to school and other members to their works, so you
will be alone in the house, isolated and disconnected. All these years of
experiencing a very unique lifestyle and going through a number of occupational
related hazards, I was forced to think out of box on entertainments to
de-stress and recognize those who are ready to put up extra hard work to save a
life. Comparing to the other supporting staff, nurses sometimes get chance to
be away from routine work when one is nominated to attend program related
workshops and seminars, otherwise life is just pinned down to ward. But not all
of the nurses are lucky enough to get outings, some are just stuck like a stamp
on an envelope, their names never get nominated, not they make an effort to
look for opportunities. Considering all these lapses we wanted to celebrate and
recognize someone who is genuinely helpful and ready to walk extra-mile when
required.
Prayer session
Token of appreciation to the senior nurses, Sis. Sujata and Sis. Tal Maya by Dasho Dzongdha Ngawang Pem
Community Health Assessment
