Benefactors of humanity

Eight Pakistani Ismaili women honoured with recognition 

Nurses in Pakistan are facing several problems including their status, dignity, pay package, working environment, service guarantee and above all social stigma. As such, the shortage of nurses is increasing in comparison to the growing number of patients and population.

There is a need to open a new dimension for nurses in both public and private healthcare sectors to uphold their image in the country.

The role of a nurse is vital to any healthcare system, as nurses serve on the front lines of patient care while upholding the inherent dignity of each patient. Nurses are patients’ first point of contact with their care team, administering treatments and medications while carefully monitoring their health conditions and coordinating the responses with the rest of the care team.

Annara Sayani who graduated from Ziauddin University in Generic Nursing, a four-year course, shared with Bol News the inspiration that drew her to this profession. “What I find most rewarding about my career is that I have the opportunity to help people in their most difficult and unexpected moments. People, come to the emergency department with conditions which require attention and assessment within 24 hours, and any delay could be the worst days of their lives. So, as their nurse, my job is to make them feel safe and comfortable.”

It is estimated that 60 to 70 per cent of nurses in Pakistan belong to the Christian community, and surprisingly Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has the most nurses. But Annara claims that Ismailis are not lagging and, being one of them, she believes that for her becoming a nurse was something like a dream come true. “Nursing is in my blood and most of my family members are nurses, which inspired me to go for this profession. Above all, my community encouraged and guided me to become a nurse to serve humanity. We Ismailis believe there is no greater service than the service that you offer to your fellow human beings.”

Prince Karim Aga Khan while addressing the recipients of the Archon Award in Denmark some 21 years ago said, “I have long felt the enhancement of the nursing profession to be critical to the improvement of health care in the developing world, and the Islamic world. The way forward was to professionalise, to institutionalise, and to dignify this great profession.”

She also confirmed that a fairly large number of Ismailis are in the process of joining this profession. Their devotion to the profession is established by the fact that 8 Ismaili women of Pakistani origin were honoured with recognition in the list of 100 Outstanding Women Nurses and Midwives. They were among the 100 women from 43 countries who were acknowledged for making significant contributions to the fields of nursing and midwifery.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Pakistan has 5 nurses and midwives (combined) as compared to 10 medical doctors per 10,000 persons. The globally recommended ratio of doctors to nurses is 4:1, which is almost the opposite in Pakistan (1:3).

According to Annara, it’s not so easy to become a nurse for it requires solid support from the family. Moreover, it requires initiative and constant dedication, from the challenge of earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, to carrying out day-in-day-out responsibilities and patient care as a practising nurse.

Discussing the challenges a nurse faces she said, “I’ve to deal with lots of different patients every day, some are cooperative, some are irritable so I’ve to use different kinds of techniques and strategies to make them comfortable, but then it takes time and requires a lot of patience and courage. But, let me add that nothing is impossible.”

According to a report prepared by the Pakistan Medical Research Council, Islamabad to assess the extent of sexual harassment of female nurses, 68 nurses participated and 72 per cent reported physical and verbal harassment by male physicians. The report said that there is no Pakistan-based empirical research to guide hospitals and employers of nurses in developing effective policies to address sexual harassment. Nevertheless, this study suggests that sexual harassment of nurses by male physicians is a concern that needs to be studied in more detail and effectively addressed in our country by professional associations. Regarding harassment issues, Annara said she had also heard about it but never experienced it herself.

Annara argues that the life of a nurse is very hectic which not only requires patience but dedication for she has to focus on diagnosing and treating symptoms, nurses utilise a more hands-on, holistic approach, which is equally essential in the successful treatment of patients.

On the other hand, nurses spend more time with patients than other members of the team, so they are in a better position to understand the temperament and psyche of the patient which helps them not only to closely observe the patients but to boost their spirits accordingly, she adds.

The life of a nurse is pretty hard, stressful and taxing in Pakistan. But when you have a supportive family behind you and good staffing management at the hospital, you can easily cope with your stress, she added. Further elaborating on the point, she said, “Days can be challenging, and patients can be difficult to interact with. However, nurses are driven to provide the same high standard of care to everyone. Whether they’re pleasant or challenging, cooperative or not, every person deserves treatment when ill.”

Moreover, she argues that as the frontline member of each patient’s care my coordination with doctors is very much important. “I believe that if I’m able to maintain good terms with doctors they will also respond in the same way. My terms with my doctors are very good and generally, we get along very well.” She adds.

Quoting examples, she said, “If I’m discussing a medical problem of the patient with the doctor and it is getting into an argument I stop arguing because all we want is the wellness of the patient and I surrender because the doctor has a legal right to do whatever he thinks is good for a patient.

Talking about the pay package she said,” Nurses are not paid enough according to their work in Pakistan. The workload is much more than the salary we get. In no way can we compare our salary and the working environment with other developing countries. In those countries, nurses have higher pay, and everybody respects them and appreciates their work but unfortunately here in Pakistan, it is not the same.”

Answering a question about why some girls are reluctant to work as a nurse, she said, “Most of the girls feel shy taking care of unknown persons, which is of course very natural and some of them feel that their self-esteem will get hurt if they work as a nurse.”

We may conclude this interview with a note that there’s a need to promote nursing as a noble profession and encourage girls to join this profession. Dr Rafat Jan, president Pakistan Nursing Council suggests “We see doctors in most advertisements such as that of toothpaste etc., but in other countries, nurses are also engaged in such advertisements. We also need to work for the image building of the nursing sector.”