Good afternoon and welcome.
I am honoured to be a part of the 2022 Nurse of the Year celebration, and I am pleased to be here with you in person after a two-year break due to the pandemic. It is great to be back.
Today, as we recognise your contribution and dedication to your profession and the people of Bermuda, I want to express my sincere appreciation for the work you do.
During the COVID pandemic, you worked tirelessly on the front line – with long, demanding hours, putting the needs of patients and our community before your own.
Notwithstanding that your job was inherently not easy, with many active cases and far too many deaths, you demonstrated tremendous strength and courage during an atmosphere of uncertainty, anxiety, and fear during the pandemic.
We are all grateful for your bravery during this crisis. Your sacrifices and resilience through extraordinary challenges helped save many lives.
This year, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) theme for International Nurses Day (IND) 2022: Nurses: A Voice to Lead – Invest in nursing and respect rights to secure global health, focuses on the need to protect, support, and invest in the nursing profession to strengthen health systems around the world.
The theme for International Nurses Day 2022 demonstrates the need to invest in nursing, build a resilient, highly qualified nursing workforce, and protect nurses' rights to transform health systems to meet the needs of individuals and communities now and into the future.
With strong leadership, education, and research, your association can strengthen our health services in Bermuda.
And you can build a resilient workforce with financial support, mentorship, and quality education for nursing students who will function as future leaders and advance the science of nursing practice.
The Bermuda Government supports opportunities that will enhance and expand the role of registered nurses in Bermuda.
The Ministry of Health supports your goal to recognise all nurses for their contribution to health care, and I applaud your efforts to ensure that nurses have the right to work to their full scope of practice.
The nurse's role is expanding to advance practice, where nurses are more autonomous in delivering health services across the lifespan. We anticipate that having advanced practice nurses will strengthen health services in Bermuda.
The Ministry of Health proudly supports nursing, and Bermuda will continue to value and rely on your noble profession to carry us through some of our most challenging times.
This pandemic took a personal toll on healthcare workers, especially nurses. It has also heightened awareness of the critical role of nurses in our healthcare system.
Your profession is vital in any community, and you increasingly have to adapt, innovate, and extend yourself at significant personal risk.
I cannot stress enough how your work has touched the lives of so many Bermudians.
On behalf of the Ministry of Health of the Government of Bermuda, I extend congratulations to the Bermuda Nurses Association for 55 years of service and all you have achieved as we approach May 12th, International Nurses Day, during the month globally recognised as Nurses Month.
To our nurses, thanks to every one of you as you strive to enhance the nursing profession and improve the lives of everyone you touch.
We express our gratitude for everything you have done and continue to do.
Thank you.