Nevis Nurses To Benefit From Intensive Care Training
NIA-CHARLESTOWN, NEVIS (January 21ST, 2011) — A sample of nurses attached to the Alexandra Hospital on Nevis, are weeks away from being formally trained in intensive care.
The 10-week course that is being facilitated in the hospital’s training room is a joint initiative of the Nevis Nurses Association, the Nevis Island Administration’s Ministry of Health and local Anesthetist Dr. Glenville Liburd.
The course, that is expected to expose nurses to the principles of intensive care, would be closely monitored by the Ministry of Health. This is according to Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health Mrs. Nicole Slack-Liburd.
“The Ministry of Health wholeheartedly endorses this initiative. Human Resources was very critical to the Ministry of Health. We really support these initiatives. In the health sector globally, there’s a shortage of human resources, particularly in nursing care and so, although we are not able to have nurses formally specialised in each area, we now have them exposed to the principles of intensive care,” she said.
At a launching ceremony last Monday [Jan. 17] the health official recorded her gratitude to the programme’s sponsors and pledge her Ministry’s continued support of health programmes adding that it [the Ministry of Health] had taken steps towards strengthening the island’s health sector.
“Just one to two years ago, the Pan American Health Organisation [PAHO] was here evaluating this facility and under the safe hospital initiative some repairs were made to the area designated for intensive care so at this stage now we are bringing the training on board. In addition to the physical resources and the training, we hope to provide an optimum ICU service here on the island of Nevis,” Mrs. Slack-Liburd said.
Matron at the Alexandra Hospital Mrs. Aldris Pemberton-Dias, described Monday’s ceremony as “simple but very significant” as it marked the start of a training course that the nurses had “been trying to get done for quite some time.”
“It will be very important for our clients. As you are aware, so many things [are] happening in our environment today and services for critical care is very very vital and important and it is important that we have the training, that we increase the capacity in terms of the nurses training in that area and also to get equipment; technologically advanced equipment to deal with patients,” she said.