International Nurses Day: Members of royal family team up to call nurses around the world
‘You should be so proud of the work that you do,’ Kate Middleton says during a call
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Your support makes all the difference.Several members of the royal family have teamed up on International Nurses Day to show their support for nurses taking care of patients throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
To mark the occasion on Tuesday 12 May, the royal family shared a montage of calls, messages and videos on social media, which showed figures including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal expressing their appreciation for nurses around the world.
Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex joined forces to speak with nurses in India, Australia, Malawi, Cyprus, the Bahamas, Sierra Leone and the UK.
While partaking in a call, Catherine said it was “amazing” that nurses are able to continue their work during the Covid-19 crisis, stating: “I don’t know how you manage to do this and keep the show on the road despite the extra pressures you’re all under and the challenging conditions – it’s just shown how vital the role that nurses play across the world. You should be so proud of the work that you do.”
An audio clip of a phone conversation that took place between the Queen and Professor Kathleen McCourt, president of the Commonwealth Nurses and Midwives Federation and Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing, was also shared as part of the montage.
The monarch, who is patron of the Royal College of Nursing, conducted her phone call from Windsor Castle, where she has been staying while in lockdown.
“This is rather an important day... because obviously they’ve had [a] very important part to play recently,” the Queen said during the call.
Prince Charles offered words of gratitude for all nurses in a video clip, stating: “On this International Nurses’ Day, my family and I want to join in the chorus of thank yous to nursing and midwifery staff across the country and indeed the world.”
A Palace spokesperson said that on every call they took part in, “the royal family reiterated their thanks to nurses across the Commonwealth for the incredible work they do on a daily basis”.
The Duchess of Cambridge is patron of the Nursing Now campaign, a global initiative to raise the status and profile of nurses, while the Countess of Wessex is a global ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.
The pair spoke to nurses working at Gidgee Healing in Queensland, Australia; HIV and maternal health nurses at the Phalombe District Hospital in Malawi; mental health nurses at Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre in Nassau, the Bahamas; nurses at Aberdeen Women’s Centre in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and nurses at the LV Prasad Eye Institute and Apollo Hospitals in Hyderabad, India.
Anita Kamara, fistula supervisor and a nurse at Aberdeen Women’s Centre, said it was “really special” to speak with the countess and “the future Queen”.
The duchess and the countess also spoke to staff at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital, of which Catherine is a patron.
Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, recorded messages of support for nurses from the Royal Naval Medical Service and Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children Charity.
Meanwhile, Princess Anne spoke to a programme manager of a medical ship that provides facilities for those with little or no access to medical care in Tanzania.
Last week, the Duke of Cambridge spoke to nurses at the Royal Marsden, of which he is a patron, while Princess Alexandra spoke with the head of the Naval Nursing Service, as patron of Queen Alexandra’s Royal Naval Nursing Service.
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