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