(DNE File photo)
In celebration of International Nursing Day, the Ministry of Health awarded 400 nurses in recognition of their contribution to health care, the ministry reported.
The ministry convened the nurses’ ceremony in the presence of higher education consultant Khaled Abel Bary, Cairo University president Gaber Nassar, the Nurses Syndicate president Kawthar Mahmoud, and an array of other medical experts.
“We are trying to develop the nursing sector in Egypt by undertaking many steps such as developing its education system, giving training programs to nursing practitioners, drafting a new law for practicing the job, and re-licensing the current practitioners,” health minister Adel Al-Adawi said during the opening speech. “Nurses are the cornerstone of the health care in Egypt.”
Meanwhile, a Nursing Rebel Movement member told Daily News Egypt: “We issued a memo to the ministry to form an emergency general assembly but he completely ignored our demands.”
“There is total negligence to nursing centres in provinces, and whenever we voice our concerns to the syndicate, they suggest for us to join the syndicate instead of identifying a clear plan to solve the problem form its roots,” she said.
According to the member, there are about 207,000 nurses in Egypt with only 56,000 of them members of the syndicate and enjoying its privileges. The majority are marginalised and cannot acquire their basic rights. Their demands also include, but are not limited to, raising the amount of infection compensation to EGP 500, increasing their minimum amount of salary to EGP 1,800, in addition to raising the amount of fund allocated for healthcare sector to 18% of national income.
