Top marks for mission to ease suffering

Her candle burns endlessly and responding to emergencies at any hour is her delight.

For her efforts, Mrs Rita Njiru has been crowned the 2010 Nurse of the Year by the Health Professionals of the Year Awards.

Mrs Njiru’s spirit is admirable and her passion unmatched after only 22 months at Embu Provincial General Hospital where she is the nurse in charge.

She says being the largest hospital in the area, it has to care for patients from various districts.

But she declines to take sole credit for the award and dedicates it to all her colleagues.

“It takes patience and an understanding mind to handle the influx of people, each with a unique health problem that requires immediate attention.”

The mother of five describes nursing as a lifestyle.

“Taking patients through the phases of a disease and seeing them through to recovery or even easing their pain brings tears of joy to my eyes,” she told the Nation.

She is also a mentor to nursing interns.

For those admitted to the hospital, the nurse becomes both a comforter and a confidant. She wears a wide smile as she shares the passion for her work.

Sacrifice is key, and it is not for the faint-hearted with no regard for service to humanity.

Chuka Hospital was her first posting after her diploma in nursing in 1988 from the Kenya Medical Training College. She vowed then, to offer her expertise to the community at whichever cost.

And two decades later, despite the odd hours and shifts, she is grateful that her love for nursing remains insatiable.

“I also have an understanding husband, who urges me to carry on and never give up even in harsh times,” Mrs Njiru says of her husband, Cosmas, who is not in the medical field. Her husband has supported her in the various facilities she has worked in.

She has learnt to appreciate gestures often deemed small, but which remain priceless in the face of her patients.

But the profession comes with its challenges, so Mrs Njiru “masks” her heart to deal with them.

She says she has trained her staff to keenly listen to the patient and attend to them with a smile, and be genuine on the available medical options and services.

She also encourages them to seek continuous training in order to stay relevant in a profession with shifting technological advancements.

“Everyday there is new medical research that is released and studies shared worldwide that should be of interest to anyone who works in a hospital,” she said.

The awards were held two weeks ago at a ceremony at the Holiday Inn in Nairobi. Mrs Njiru’s crown came with a plaque and a gift of Sh10,000.

This year’s award theme was “Strive for Excellence in Healthcare Delivery”. It sought to recognise, motivate and inspire professional achievement in various cadres at public, private and faith health facilities.

The awards are sponsored by the Capacity Kenya Project, all health professional associations and the Ministry of Medical Services.

Her last born daughter and son have been admiring her work.

“They ask a lot of questions about medicine and are also very compassionate to anyone who is in need or is ill,” she says.

The rewards of the profession, she says, are incalculable but the most memorable one in her career was counselling a group of seven prostitutes and convincing them to quit the high risk activity.

Mrs Njiru points out that one cannot be judgmental about them but needs to show them that there is an alternative means of earning income.

“Today, they are green grocers and doing other legal business and I am proud they made a fresh start,” she said.

Shortage of staff, she says, is one of her greatest challenges.

“We cope by making use of teamwork,” she says.