Celebrating International Nurses Day 2020

The Hamlin Team would like to send our warmest wishes to all nurses today, on International Nurses  Day. The unprecedented focus and demand on healthcare workers this year has reinforced just how vital and heroic their work is. Hamlin’s nurses practice quality nursing care, infused with compassion and respect for each patient.

Nursing the world to health

International Nurses Day is celebrated every year on the birthday of the pioneer of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale. 2020 marks the 200th anniversary of Nightingale’s birth.

The International Council of Nurses set the theme of this year’s International Nurses Day as ‘Nursing the World to Health’.The theme recognises the challenges the world faces in relation to good health and the contribution of nursing in addressing these challenges. 2020 was designated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife. Through this designation, the WHO is recognising the work of the world’s 22 million nurses and advocating for greater investment in nurses.

Nursing and the Hamlin Model of Care

Hamlin nurses are steeped in the principles of the Hamlin Model of Care: a fundamental respect for women who suffer this condition and a commitment to provide complete and compassionate care to them. The dignity and kindness with which Hamlin nurses care for obstetric fistula patients is key to their recovery. Many Hamlin nurses worked alongside Dr Catherine Hamlin over many years, even decades, and were greatly inspired by her passion and professionalism. In fact, many are also former fistula patients themselves who were trained under Catherine.

The Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital has become known as a global centre of excellence in fistula surgical care. Recognising the excellent care and surgical nursing practice maintained at the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) partnered with Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia as part of the FIGO Fistula Surgery Training Initiative.

Hamlin’s clinical team began working in partnership with FIGO to increase the number of trained fistula surgical nurses around the world. These nurses train at Hamlin’s Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital to acquire surgical nursing skills and knowledge to treat fistula injuries beyond the borders of Ethiopia. FIGO participants learn about how to treat patients using the Hamlin Model of Care. To date, 28 surgeons and six nurses from around the world visited and trained at the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital as part of the Hamlin-FIGO partnership. In 2019, one doctor, nurse and physiotherapist from Somalia were trained by Hamlin; this will ensure that the outstanding skills of Hamlin healthcare workers are applied in the treatment of women far beyond Ethiopia.

Catherine Hamlin believed in treating each and every patient with best practice care. Click here to help Hamlin nurses provide fistula patients with the care they need.