Mkhize to commemorate International Nurses Day
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize will commemorate International Nurses Day on Tuesday by hosting a special candlelight ceremony for nurses across the country.
His deputy Joe Phaahla and the country’s nine health MECs will also join the celebrations from various parts of the country.
Nursing day is celebrated on 12 May, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.
Mkhize will be in KwaZulu-Natal for the ceremony, where he will be joined by the department’s chief nursing officer Nonhlanhla Makhanya.
International Nurses Day comes at a time where the world is battling Covid-19, which has killed more than 280 000 people globally.
South Africa has not been spared by the global pandemic, which has resulted in over 10 000 infections nationally and close to 200 deaths.
ALSO READ: Correctional Services appoints panel to help fight coronavirus
At least 500 health care workers have been infected with Covid-19, majority of them nurses.
Health workers union Hospersa says government should be doing more to support nurses, especially because they are on the frontline.
“We also feel that government should come on board and support nurses as they form such a critical part of this fight against Covid-19,” says spokesperson Kevin Halama.