The Faces Behind Patient Care Celebrated During Nurses Week

Across Belize, nurses are often the first faces patients see in moments of fear, pain, and uncertainty. Today marked the start of Nurses Week, which runs from May sixth to May twelfth, celebrating the dedication and sacrifices of healthcare workers across the country. At the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, the week began with an awards ceremony honoring nurses for the critical role they play every day in caring for Belizeans.

 

Zenida Lanza, Reporting

Nurses are taking center stage at KHMH this week. The hospital kicked things off with an awards ceremony honoring some of its nearly two hundred nurses, recognizing the people who keep the system running. Under the theme “Our Nurses, Our Future,” the week highlights their frontline role and impact. CEO Sharine Reyes summed it up with a simple message, thank you, for the long hours, the resilience, and the lifesaving work that often goes unseen.

 

Sharine Reyes, CEO, KHMH

“They’re the backbone of healthcare. When it comes to meeting the patient, they’re the first ones to meet the patient. They’re the last ones to ensure that care is given and ensure that when the discharges happen at the ward, they are there. They’re there throughout the course of the night. They’re always at the bedside of the patients. Therefore, it’s very important for us to highlight the significance of them being in their capacity as nurses.”

 

For Licensed Practical Nurse Devon Pitts, who has been at KHMH for just over six months, the recognition means a great deal. Like many of his colleagues, he navigates staff shortages daily, pushing through on teamwork and sheer commitment. But when you ask him why he does it, the answer is simple.

 

Devon Pitts, Nurse

“ It feels amazing being recognized for what we do as nurses. It’s not an easy job. Every day we get up, we have to come to work, we have to deal with a lot from patient to patient. So I do think that it’s important. However, our job itself alone is rewarding. Working here and completing a shift, I go home feeling that I did something very, very good for a patient. I did something that impacted someone’s life.”

 

And sometimes, that impact comes back to find you. Nurse Pitts shared one moment on the job that he says he will never forget.

 

Devon Pitts

 ”With this particular toddler, I remember it was after I had finished a shift, and days later, like, I think like two days later, the parents came and they gave me a card, and they gave me, like, this little gift package. And they were like, “Thank you so much for the impact you did in my daughter’s life.” I think that one really stuck with me because it was, it was for me, it was the first time that I ever got something from a child.”

 

Beyond the awards ceremony, KHMH has a full week of activities lined up for its nursing staff, from pampering sessions to a sports day to a night out. The director of nursing services says after the toll the post-COVID years took on healthcare workers, moments like this matter more than people might realize.

 

Kesilyn Lizama, Director of Nursing Services, KHMA

“Putting up post-COVID era, there was a lot of change and stuff where we felt like everything was very busy. There wasn’t a lot going around to say thank you, and it was still there. And I think that a little bit of that is still being felt now. But initiatives like these certainly do say, “Hey, we hear you. We are here with you. We care for you, and we are looking after our staff.” And hopefully, this is the triggering ground for other things that we can do for staff as well.”

 

As for Devon Pitts, he says his future is firmly planted right here in Belize. No jumping ship, no looking elsewhere, just growing in a profession he clearly loves, in the country he calls home. Reporting for News Five, I am Zenida Lanza.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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