Nursing

He says, the new look gives nurses hope for the future and the legacy for future executives to excel and enhance the work and aspirations of all nurses.

The old union office of the PNG Nurses Association at 3-Mile finally saw some refurbishment after years of neglect.

The current management reinvested funds from nurses’ subscription to fund the cost of refurbishment, extension of the building and the new brick fencing at a cost of well over K500,000.

The Governor expressed the Minister's gratitude for the invitation to the ceremony and praised the graduates' determination, courage, and commitment to becoming nurses, which is particularly admirable given the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nursing is a rewarding profession that is often overlooked by society. It is only right that nurses deserve medals for bravery, compassion, and professionalism. The presentation of diplomas for the 26 nurses at the West New Britain School of Nursing, speaks volumes.

“However, getting into nursing college was an opportunity and I am glad I chose nursing,” says Yolanda Som, Australia Awards PNG alumna.

Yolanda and more than 40 Papua New Guineans have been supported by Newcrest Mining Limited through the Australia Awards In-PNG Scholarships to study nursing and midwifery since 2017.

Yolanda, now 23 years old, says she has a long way to go and a lot of goals to complete, but one day she hopes to reach the top and become an expert in the medical area.

Immanuel Jacob Telasegonyo was accepted to the Lae School of Nursing and travelled from Menyamya in 2018, even though he did not have the money to pay his school fees.

He travelled only with hope that an opportunity would enable him to pursue nursing studies.

Upon arrival in Lae, Telasegonyo was excited to find out that he would be supported by Newcrest Mining.

“The scholarship support was a very big thing in my life. With my background, there was no way I would have raised the required funds to pay my fees.”

During the recent International Nurses Day celebration, a lot was said about the roles and responsibilities of nurses but most of all nursing officers were thanked and acknowledged by their superiors in the profession.

Nurses are seen as the assistants to medical officers in the health field, however in PNG it is usually a nurse or a community health worker who is on end to provide healthcare, especially in remote rural communities.

Sr. Carol Hosea, Director of Nursing at Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) was among those, who advocated for better support to nurses.