As part of the celebrations of International Nurses Day, healthcare professionals from the district of Mozambique Island in Nampula shared their experiences, concerns, and daily challenges faced in the island’s health units, highlighting the lack of medicines, medical-surgical supplies, poor working conditions, and the need for greater recognition of the profession.
General nurse António Filipe stated that nursing professionals face numerous difficulties in carrying out their duties, especially those related to the shortage of medical-surgical materials, inadequate working conditions, lack of fuel, and salary issues.
According to the professional, there is a need for greater investment in the training of nursing staff, improvement of working conditions, and salary adjustments to ensure recognition and motivation for nurses.
António Filipe also took the opportunity to urge the public to use the appropriate channels whenever there are complaints related to services provided at health facilities.
“When there are cases of alleged poor service, people should seek dialogue with the management of the health unit or the patient support office before spreading rumors, because sometimes it may simply be a misunderstanding,” he explained.
The nurse also left a message for young people wishing to pursue a nursing career, arguing that the profession should be embraced out of vocation and a spirit of serving humanity.
“Nursing should not be pursued only to get a job, but rather out of love for others and responsibility, because life has no draft,” he added.
Meanwhile, Suzete Vasco, a nurse at the Health Unit with 21 years of experience in the field, recalled that at the beginning of her career the health sector offered better working conditions.
“At that time, we had almost everything and did not face many difficulties. Today there is a shortage of medicines and medical-surgical materials, which greatly affects our daily work,” she lamented.
Despite the challenges, Suzete believes that the salary has been helpful, although she acknowledges occasional delays in payments.
The nurse also appealed to young people to stay away from drugs and dedicate themselves to education, encouraging them to become future healthcare professionals.
“I ask young people to abandon drugs and invest in education. To nurses, I leave the message that we must treat patients with love, care, and humanity,” she emphasized.
Anifa Sinalo, a nurse in the Maternal and Child Health department who has worked in the maternity ward for 23 years, pointed to patients’ companions as one of the main daily challenges faced.
According to the professional, many patients arrive accompanied by a large number of family members, which makes the normal functioning of the maternity ward difficult.
“Sometimes a single patient arrives with around ten companions, and this makes it difficult to organize the work. We ask for the community’s understanding so that only one companion remains with the patient,” she appealed.
Anifa Sinalo also stated that, thanks to the support of some health partners, the maternity ward does not always face shortages of medicines and essential materials.
The nurse said she has never been accused of poor service or illegal charges and reinforced the need for healthcare professionals to practice their profession with patience, empathy, and love for others.
“Nurses must have love for the profession, humanism, and treat others the same way they would like to be treated,” she concluded. (Fátima Abacar and Aminatho Zaharia Atumane)
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