International Nurses Day

The birthday of Florence Nightingale, on the 12 May 1820, has been celebrated as International Nurses Day, as she is considered to be an icon in the world nursing. This prestigious event was celebrated at the MediClinic Legae, in Mabopane, Pretoria because the private clinic is also celebrating twenty years of existence.

The event was graced by the presence of South Africa’s first lady, Bongi Ngema-Zuma; she delivered the speech honouring Florence Nightingale and other iconic woman, who were nurses or offered medical help to fellow South Africans during the apartheid era in South Africa, such as: Lillian Ngoyi, Albertina Sisulu and Adelaide Thambo.

The first lady also emphasized the importance of nurses in South Africa “there’s no place or country that can exist or be what it is today without the help of health workers, we might not realize their importance when we pass them on the streets, but one thing for sure is that these people play in big role in our life’s.” she said

The guests were also entertained by the clinics choir, which is made up of the nurse and doctors from the MediClinic Legae, and they did a splendid job of entertaining the crowd with their smooth and tender voices. There was a moment of silence and candles were lightened after that, Florence Nightingale’s pledge was read.

The ceremony also recognized the hardworking staff, Mrs. Thandi Radebe who has been working at the clinic since 2011, won the award for the “Nursing Excellence Award”, making her the most hardworking nurse and punctual nurse in the clinic. “I ‘am very happy about this award, I was not expecting anything, but by the grace of God everything worked out the way it did today.” She said