KIU, Western Campus – Kampala International University Teaching Hospital has joined the rest of the world to celebrate the World Health Day, albeit in a somber mood created by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

World Health Day, which is celebrated every 7th April, will this year have many celebrating the work of nurses and midwives and also reminding world leaders of the critical role they play in keeping the world healthy.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is fittingly calling 2020 the “International Year of the Nurse and Midwife.”

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses are at the forefront of the response to the disease, and thousands are risking their own lives to save the lives of others; a sacrifice that needs to be acknowledged and appreciated.

According to a statement on the WHO website, the organization will make a series of recommendations to strengthen the nursing and midwifery workforce.

The Principal Nursing Officer of KIU Teaching Hospital, Sr. Elizabeth Kamahoro, thanked the WHO for recognizing nurses and midwives.

“It is special that the WHO is trying to get leaders to know the critical role nurses and midwives play in keeping the world healthy,” she said. 

“For most of the epidemics, pandemics and disasters that occur in the world, it’s the nurses and midwives who are at the frontline of the fight,” she added.

The Deputy Principal Nursing Office, Muhammad Musa, called on nurses to stand up and be counted.

“This celebration of nurses is a wakeup call for them to stand up and defend their profession and show the world that it is a vital part of the healthcare system,” Musa said.

The WHO statement calls for the support of world leaders to ensure that the nursing and midwifery workforces are strong enough to ensure that everyone, everywhere, gets the healthcare they need.