AKEL on International Nurses’ Day

 

12 May 2024, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

12 May is International Nurses’ Day and 5 May is International Midwives Day. AKEL respectfully recognises and honors the contribution nurses and midwives make to society and the work they do for our fellow human beings. This year’s International Nurses’ Day is commemorated under the slogan “Our Nurses. Our future. The economic power of care”. On this occasion AKEL reiterates that it joins the nurses’ effort to reshape the outdated perceptions of nursing science both in decision-making centres and society in general.

Nurses have the most frequent and closest contact with patients than any other health professional. They work exposed to a working environment with infections and other occupational hazards having a high degree of burnout characterised by high physical and psychological stress.

In order to work and perform to their full potential, nurses and midwives need to be supported, encouraged, rewarded and empowered. Improving the quality of care and patient safety is also linked to the working environment of staff. This means the right to a safe working environment, appropriate pay and access to resources and training.

Investing in the safe staffing of the health system with nurses and midwives, supporting the right to wellness, a healthy environment and dignified working conditions, and providing incentives for ongoing education will bring significant economic and social benefits to the country as a whole.

In Cyprus, however, there is inadequate planning, poor management and chronic under-investment in human resources, poor development practices, occupational burnout, unsupportive working environment and wage inequalities. The State should recognise the critical role that nurses play in society and commit to ensuring their health and safety and improving their working conditions. It must also take seriously the concerns of nurses in relation to the decline in the numbers of nurses and take all the necessary measures to make the nursing and midwifery profession attractive.

AKEL will continue to support the nurses of our country in this struggle.

12.05.2024