STATEMENT BY THE RT HON PRIME MINISTER
DR B.SIBUSISO DLAMINI
AT THE INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC COMMITTEE OF NURSES AND MEDICO-SOCIAL ASSISTANTS 6TH CONGRESS
AT GEORGE HOTEL, MANZINI
THURSDAY 25 AUGUST 2016
Programme Director
The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Manzini, His Lordship
Bishop Jose Luis de Leon.
Members of the International Catholic Committee of
Nurses and Medico-Social Assistants (CICIAMS)
Honourable Ministers
The Catholic Church and Swaziland Nurses Catholic Guild
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is my honour to welcome you all to this, the 6th Congress of the International Catholic Committee of Nurses and Medico-Social Assistants (CICIAMS). Since this is the Congress for the English Speaking African Region, I will greet you in English: Good morning, Praise be to God. And also in our own African language, Siswati: akadvunyiswe Jesu Khristu.
I speak on behalf of His Majesty’s Government when I say that we are delighted that the Committee has chosen to hold this very important health-oriented event in the Kingdom of Swaziland. Your international professional Catholic organization is a renowned entity in the world of today, highly respected for more than 80 years’ work in promoting Christian and professional values in nursing.
Nursing is, of course, one of the great vocations of the world and has been for centuries. As a function, it is believed to provide around 90% of global health care and, in many poor communities it is the only source of such support. That makes the average nurse a significantly above-average contributor to the welfare of his or her fellow human beings. Where would we be without our nurses? Probably not very well, is the obvious answer.
And the issue that your Committee addresses is that health and healing involve the whole body, mind and spirit. In this day and age, mental and emotional illnesses have presented a significant additional challenge to the work of nurses and medico-social assistants. The pace and pressures of present day life, and many of the values espoused by modern society, such as the obsession with physical beauty, and the cult of the celebrity, are potentially distressing, and continuously threaten to divert the individual away from the spiritual comfort of sound Christian values. These pressures are known to contribute significantly to mental, and even physical, illness. In that context, what always springs to mind is the saying: want what you have rather than have what you want. The spiritual wellbeing of the patient often therefore demands as much attention as the physical.
Promoting the Christian, as well as professional, values in nursing care among national and international associations around the world, defines the multi-faceted role for your Committee. The theme of your 6th Congress: Scaling up Africa Health Services through Nurses, the Merciful Carers of Humanity, is no doubt designed to embrace the broader implication of the word “care.”
Having a healthy Nation is a top priority for His Majesty’s Government. We are, however, facing financial constraints during these times of slow economic growth, with continuing uncertainties within our main export markets. The assistance that is given by the churches in our country is, therefore, hugely valuable and shall never be forgotten.
In this regard, I believe that this is an important moment to give recognition to the wonderful work done by the Catholic Church and its nursing professionals in Swaziland.
I take the opportunity to remind our people that the Catholic Church is managing many health facilities around the country, including the Good Shepherd Hospital and Nursing College, St Theresa Clinic and St Philips Clinic, to name a few, all operating where the need of the people is very high. We continue to receive excellent reports on the quality of services provided, and it is my privilege, on behalf of His Majesty’s Government, to thank the Catholic Church for such services and for its attention to the holistic needs of the individual.
Furthermore it is essential to note the valuable service provided to our people by the retired Catholic nurses in programmes such as Parish Nursing, the charitable entity provided by the Catholic Church. We thank the Church as well for providing mentoring to facilitate the establishment of similar good works by other denominations such as the Church of Nazarene, and the Methodist Church, as evidenced in the May 2016 graduation at Caritas Manzini.
As the main existence of CICIAMS is to promote the Christian and professional values in nursing care with National and International Associations around the world, we are hopeful, as a country, that sharing those values with the nurses across the Kingdom will improve nursing standards and remind the Swaziland Nurses Guild of the importance of its brand, or motto: See Christ in Every Person having a new meaning.
I am aware that 24 August is also an important day in the church calendar, where the faithful seek to honour St. Bartholomew who was the first disciple called by our Lord Jesus Christ, where Jesus uttered the glorious compliment “Behold, an Israelite indeed in whom there is no guile!” And, after the resurrection, St Bartholomew became one of the few apostles who witnessed the appearance of the risen Saviour on the Sea of Galilee (John 21:2)
I do hope that, at the end of this Congress, our visitors will take the opportunity to visit some of the many beautiful areas of our country. It will be at the time when we celebrate our annual Reed Dance, an annual cultural event that has invariably proved fascinating to the visitors from many countries that we receive at that time of the year.
It is now my honour to declare the 6thCIACIAMS Congress officially opened, and wish the Congress the most fruitful of deliberations. We are confident that the beneficial footprint of the Catholic Church will continue to manifest itself in improved health systems across our continent.
Thank you. God bless us all.