How the Donation Will Motivate K.H.M.H. Healthcare Workers

Kereen Birch

In the COVID-19 Unit at the K.H.M.H., there are twenty-six nurses, seven patient care assistants, six attendants and about ten to twelve doctors who work on a shift basis.  Nursing Supervisor Kereen Birch hones in on the struggles that these frontline healthcare workers have been going through and Nurse Casilda Bowman shares how this will help as the national referral hospital remains in emergency mode.

Kereen Birch, Nursing Supervisor, K.H.M.H.

“We are tired sis. When will this end? When will people realise that COVID-19 is real and stop doing – I don’t want to say selfish behaviours, but behaviours that put the rest of the population at risk.” Because sometimes you go in, literally, one person gets off a bed and then you clean it so that you can accommodate another patient. So it is a constant jamming. And so it is just a rough time – mentally, physically – for yourself and your family. When a patient comes to you not breathing, you have to find something that you need to do for that patient that you can do. And so it is a bit different because we have all the other conditions – they have not gone anywhere, they are still around. We are still having road traffic accidents, we are still having the penetrating traumas, we are still having everything and on top of that with the COVID, it’s a big overwhelming sometimes.”

Casilda Bowman

Nurse Casilda Bowman, COVID Unit Manager, K.H.M.H.

“This is helping in more than one was. Just the thought of recognising that the public is really seeing what we are going through will help them to push on and then being able to rest in comfort, it will give them energy and it will give them some sort of motivation and hope to do what they are doing.”

The donation, which is valued at approximately three thousand dollars, will be placed in the staff lounge area near the COVID-19 Unit.