09 Mar 2014

Trainee nurses from Deborah Retief Memorial Hospital have been encouraged to keep up the spirit of caring and showing compassion towards others.

This was after the trainee nurses, who are on practical attachment at Mookane village in Central District, donated a shelter for bins which are used to dispose of clinical waste from the village.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Mahalapye assistant district commissioner, Ms Malebogo Ramatu said the students came up with the idea of erecting a shelter for the bins after realising that they were not properly sheltered.

“They knew that clinical waste is not supposed to be stored in an open space as it should not be exposed to the public because it is dangerous and can spread diseases,” she said.

She added that the gift from the student nurses was precious as it showed how responsible and compassionate they were.

She explained that the project was not sponsored by government, but was rather an initiative of the student nurses. Ms Ramatu said it was heartening to observe such compassion from the student nurses. She said the student nurses had lived by the vision 2016 pillars of being a creative and innovative nation as wel ass a just and caring nation.

She also thanked all those who were involved in the project, saying their efforts will benefit the people of Mookane for many years to come. One of the trainee nurses, Thabang Semoko, thanked Mookane villagers for assisting them to make the project a success.

He said they decided to erect a shelter for the bins after they realised that they were kept in an open space where the clinical waste could be spread around by animals and accessed by children. These trainee nurses had also opened a youth friendly unit at the clinic where the youth could feel comfortable to express themselves without feeling intimidated.

The student nurses said they opened the clinic after realizing that a lot of teenagers aged between 12 and 17 fell pregnant in large numbers. “We wanted them to have a place where they could easily discuss sexual matters and feel free to ask for contraceptives,” he said. Ends