In my school days, I used to be the one scoring maximum goals in football matches. In the process, I fractured my hands three times starting with the left, the right and, again the left. Three fractures in three years. What a record!
After the first fracture, I was referred to a government hospital, where I met the lady in white for the first time. I was screaming in pain till this nurse came by and told me: “Don't worry my child, I am here now, everything will be all right.” Her reassuring words made such a great impact on me that I stopped crying.
Nurses are the frontline of medicine. They make a difference to society. They work round the clock tirelessly to serve patients. Whether it is monitoring a critically ill patient in the ICU or giving a sponge bath, cleaning up a wound, they give their heart and soul. They are armed with the emotional stability to deal with different situations, whether it is a happy moment like bringing new lives into the world or the grim situation of the death of a patient. They tackle tough situations with nerves of steel and the presence of mind.
My grandfather shared with me the story of a famous film producer, who was admitted to hospital for cardiac arrest. The doctors tried their best to save him but couldn't and pronounced him dead. However, the chief nurse, who was attending on him, refused to give up. She sat on a tall stool and with her heel started pounding the clinically dead man's chest. Within a few minutes, the shape of the graph on the monitor changed from a flat straight line and he was back to life.
Nurses meet people from all walks of life. But every patient is important to them. Their bond is special and unique. At times, the nurses do get attached to the patient if the stay is long and sometimes the patients reveal those buried secrets which they would not talk about even to their relatives or closest friends. They know that patients remain in their life for a short time but patients will remember them for the rest of their life.
Can you imagine a world without nurses? There are seven billion people in this world but only 17.6 million nurses. Many countries are facing the common problem of shortage of nurses. How are we going to bridge the gap? Who will care for people, especially the chronically ill? These questions remain to be answered.
Instead of sending us white-winged angels, God gave us nurses. So if you come across a nurse, do take some time to say a few kind words and appreciate her, because she truly deserves it.
(The writer's email is tskarthik13@yahoo.com)
Keywords: nurses
I really appreciate your article Mr.Karthik. My humble request to the
nurses is please be smile on the face and caring mind while attending a
patient. It will make patient to reduce their pains and increase their
confidence level.
A well written article.Nursing is motherly action.In many situtations they do even mothers cannot do! Such a noble profession is at a cross road today demanding pay and the authorities ignoring them totally and make them suffer!Let us take care of them to take care of the needy.It is indirect way of truly serving the needy.
Very good Mr. Karthick, very good, your thoughts brought out at a time when nurses are unhappy at select hospitals. In general their service is understandable to be great. Surely I cannot forget the services rendered by them to my family members and self too! Deivam in nurse rupam!
This is a thought-provoking Article, all thanks to the writer and the 'Hindu' for publishing it. I have had many occasions to be treated as in-patients in hospitals and the care and attention they showed to me, with invariably a smile on their lips , was unique. They are, indeed, the chosen representatives of the Almighty to serve the suffering humanity and deserve to be treated with dignity and compensated adequately in these days of high cost of living. By the way,it has always been my desire that, if by chance, I were to be borne again as a human being , I would like to serve as a Nurse, which, indeed, is a noble profession.
Drar Sir /Madam Yes indeed it is a very touching situation In India at this time .Nursing is a noble profession and the nurses are the back bone of the health care system. Nursing is a science ,an art of caring. Not every job is right for every person.You need to have a right heart and right mind for the job."Doctors cure ,Nurses care" this is a true statement. Nurses have been voted the most trusted professionals in America for the eleventh consecutive year .Every day Nurses make a difference to the lives of their patients and their families .This is when we recognize the hard work and talents of nurses all over the world .Please do not under estimate the power of the involvement of nurses at any level in spreading good healing throghout the world .This is the an eye opener for our Government .There is much work ahead of us but I know with hard work, determination and perserverance we can succeed. I salute you all in India for your hard work.Wish you all good luck!
Dear sir,
It was very touching to read your view regarding Nurses. We as Nurses are still serving with a smile in our lips only because of the true appreciations of a handful people like you, Thanking you.
This article is printed in a famous daily - THE HINDU. Media is a powerful way to reach people and history proves that media can change anything. The one thing every nurse will agree is that they are not paid for the work they are doing. Our demand is not to become Lakpathies and Crorepathies but enough to meet the growing demands of the world. This is just to make aware to the people and the government that how poorly the nurses are being paid and to please give us justice and equality in this matter.
Very true and very well written. Pepole don't appreciate their hardwork,sacrifieses and humanity.I would like to thank them and keep doing the great work for all of us.
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