Celebrating International Nurses Day

INTERNATIONAL NURSES DAY

WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 2010, BLANTYRE

THEME: Delivering quality, serving communities: Nurses leading Chronic Care.

07.00AM :    Nurses/Midwives, Student Nurses/Midwives gather (at Blantyre old Town, Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre Youth Centre)

07.30 AM :    Big Walk by Nurses/Midwives from Blantyre old Town Hall to Blantyre Youth Centre

09.00AM :    Nurses/Midwives assemble at Blantyre youth Centre

09.00 AM :     Guest of Honour the Vice President of the Republic of Malawi, Rt Hon. Joyce Banda, arrives at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) and cheer the sick in selected

09.30 AM:     Guest of Honour and Invited Guests inspect Pavilions at Blantyre Youth Centre

09.40 AM:    National Anthem

     :    Welcome Remarks by Director of Ceremonies

        Nurses Prayer, Nurses Pledge, Nurses Song and Solidarity Song

        Highlights of experiences and Testimonies related to the theme

        Traditional dances, songs, drama and poem

        Special Message and honouring of Best Nurses/Midwives in chronic and orphan care

• Guest of Honour
  

Speeches

• President, National Organisation of Nurses and Midwives of Malawi (NONM) Dr Isabella W A Musisi
  
• Palliative Care (Cancer and HIV/AIDS; Diabetes; Oncology; Psychiatric Ass; Surgical/Orthopaedic; Neuro)
  
• Malawi Health Equity Network Executive Director, Martha Kwataine
  
• PS – Nutrition, HIV and AIDS, Dr Mary Shawa
  
• Guest of Honour, the Vice President of the Republic of Malawi, Rt Hon Joyce Banda
  

12.00 noon    National Anthem

        Guest of Honour takes leave

        END OF PROGRAMME !!!

    Well this is Malawi so things didn't exactly go according to time. Having passed the Blantyre youth Centre twice picking up the CD and seeing that it was very full, it is decided that we would go down into Blantyre to join the march, it is now 9.15 and clearly everyone is at the Youth Centre. So no sign of the marchers, we head back to Youth Centre, when we get there there are no seats left – they have all been taken by those that did get there on time, nurses who had come from the surrounding districts, including Zomba and Lilongwe. We only had to travel from next door, and managed to be the last group to arrive. In the grounds chairs had been set up under marquees to protect everyone from the sun, which worked very well except for the Mzungu from MCHS who was left sitting on the ground along with her colleagues out in the sun. Having not expected to be here I had not prepared by putting on sun cream! (I only found out this was happening on arriving at work that day, I know I am a nurse and should remember important dates like this but there you go).

Well as to be expected everything was running behind time. I think Joyce Banda arrived at about 10.30 and then had a wander around some of the stands that had been set up. And eventually took her place on the stage upon which the proceedings started with first of all a prayer – which they had forgot to put in the programme, and then the National Anthem. I do have copies of the Nurses Prayer, Song and Pledge if anyone is interested. After this and some non timetabled speeches by 5 other people we were running severely behind time. So the master of ceremonies said that as the VP had another important engagement the rest of the timetabled speakers had 3 minutes each so that we could finish on time, and he was Malawian as well and said all of this with a straight face, remarkable.

This was probably the most boring bit as many of the speeches were given in Chichewa, I think they went down well judging by the cheers and Viva's coming from the audience, but there was also some dissent when someone dared to say that nurses were receiving a bad press due to their lack of caring! And that they had to do something to change this. I forget who it was but someone was saying that in their speech the government should provide nurses with a decent wage, a car, a house, pay their children's school fees, the nurses assembled were particularly supportive of this!!!

The traditional dances, songs, drama and poem were pushed back to the end of the programme, before the closing prayers and National Anthem.

The singing and dancing was very good and also extremely funny in places and often had the audience in stitches. There was one young male nurse who could move his hips and backside in the most amazing fashion. The nurse that had written a poem about taking pride in nursing ended with the following words "that he was bursting with pride and the feeling was just like a very full bladder desperate to burst".

We finished at 2pm and then piled in the bus to be taken back to the college. By the end of the day the full effects of the sun meant that I had my own central heating programme going that evening due to the warmth of my skin.

All in all it was an excellent morning/afternoon and great to be able to take part. They celebrate every year but rotate to different parts of the country so it is just fortunate that it happened to be in Blantyre this year.