The nurses at Hayani hospital near Thohoyandou were urged to comply with nursing standards and instil the spirit of caring for patients.

“We wanted our nurses to improve the health care system after it was realised that a large portion of the public no longer had any trust in the health care services. Nurses should entail professionalism in their day-to-day activities,” said the CEO of the hospital, Ms Rudzani Tshikovhi.

She addressed more than 70 nurses from the hospital during the Nurses' Day of Prayer, held at the hospital premises last Wednesday.

Tshikovhi said the day of prayer for nurses dated back from the times of Florence Nightingale, who used Christian values to care for the sick. “This is the day when nurses come together in a solemn ceremony, to be reminded about their code of nursing ethics and the nursing pledge of service to which they subscribe,” she added. According to her, one of the distinct features of the day is the white uniform of the nurses, which symbolises the hearts that are pure in caring for the patients.

During the ceremony, Bishop Samuel Tshabuse urged nurses to maintain a caring attitude, as nursing is all about caring.