MINISTER S SPEECH GRADUATION CEREMONY TOP UP DIPLOMA NURSING BY HONOURABLE ANIL KUMARSINGH GAYAN Minister of Health and Quality of Life Venue: Octave Wiehe Auditorium, University of Mauritius, Reduit Date: Saturday 27 th June 2015 Time: 15 00 hours
SPEECH FOR GRADUATION CEREMONY ON 27 TH JUNE 2015 Miss How Fok Cheung, Senior Chief Executive Dr Pauvaday, Director General Health Services Dr Mrs Daby, Executive Director, MIH The Academic staff of School of Nursing Staff of the Ministry Nurses Graduates Ladies and Gentleman Good afternoon, It is a pleasure for me to address you on the occasion of your Graduation Ceremony for the Top-up Diploma in Nursing. The Top-up Diploma in Nursing was launched in 2013 to give effect to the expressed wish of the nursing cadre to move towards higher education and for Mauritius to have a more qualified workforce. 2
This Diploma is a six month MQA approved training programme run by the School of Nursing for Nurses holding a Certificate in General Nursing, and the Mauritius Institute of Health is the awarding body. I know that the six month training period has been one of sacrifice taking the graduates away from family and other commitments. It has also been a period of intellectual challenge wherein you had to grasp the knowledge imparted to you and set yourself the task to prepare portfolios for the different modules. Now after successful completion of the course, you deserve our congratulations for your achievements. History teaches us that Florence Nightingale was the one responsible for the setting-up of the first structured nursing training school at St. Thomas Hospital in London. In 1860, Florence Nightingale devised a complete curriculum on nursing practices setting the stage for the future of nursing education. 3
Florence Nightingale defined the value of Nursing as an art, and if it is to be made an art, it requires an exclusive devotion, as hard a preparation, as any painter's or sculptor's work." In Mauritius, the training of Nurses started in the year 1958. A Central School of Nursing at Victoria Hospital was created for running the Certificate in General Nursing. A second School of Nursing was set up at SSRN Hospital in the late seventies. This development reflects the country s needs for quality nursing care. A first batch of 257 Charge Nurses has graduated in 2013 and today 221 Charge Nurses and Nursing officers of the second batch are being graduated. A third batch of 500 Nursing Officers completed their Top Up Diploma Nursing last month and they are awaiting results of the final assessment. The criteria for the selection of trainees for the Top-up Programme is seniority from officers in the grade of Charge Nurse level and then to Nursing Officer level. 4
There are 6 modules for this course having various objectives. Customer Care & Communication Skills Research in Nursing Transcultural Nursing Gerontology & Geriatrics Health Promotion Ward Management & Education in Nursing In the years to come, Nursing Education will be further professionalized with Opening of a third School of Nursing in the south A New nursing training facility near SSRN Hospital New courses for specialized nursing. Specialisation does not result in compartmentalization. It is a plus but the basics of nursing do not change. Nurses are called upon and must be ready to perform all nursing functions depending upon the demands of the service. Today, nurses walk a delicate line between tradition and technology, computer skills and compassionate service. You must never forget the wise words of Florence Nightingale. You may have specialist 5
qualification but you must be ready at all times to provide general nursing care to all those in need. Explaining and communicating are essential components for your work. You are aware that occasionally there are nurses who get assaulted by patients. I condemn all such attacks and we have put up notice in all hospitals warning the public about any form of verbal or physical abuse upon medical personnel. A few days ago at Flacq hospital, 3 nurses were assaulted when they were performing their duties. I have enquired into the incident and I am satisfied that those who assaulted the nurses also damaged government property and I am sure that the Police which is conducting its enquiry and will take appropriate action. I say in no uncertain terms that we will tolerate no act of aggression against our staff. But we call on our staff to act within the confines of their duties and to report any incident involving members of the public. 6
I am also thinking of putting up security cameras in all areas in hospitals where the public has access. I am therefore extending my warmest congratulations to you, the graduates of the Top Up Diploma in Nursing. Today belongs to you. You have all worked diligently to reach this stage. Your dedication, commitment and hard work have brought you professional success. This is not the end of the line. Your career starts now and the sky is the limit. Good luck. 7