A nursing officer in Arua District who wheeled a patient for about three five kilometres after failure to get an ambulance has been awarded as the nurse of the year.
Doris Okundinia trekked about three kilometres pushing a patient on a wheel chair from Ediofe Health Centre to Arua Regional Referral Hospital, after waiting in vain for an ambulance from district Covid-19 taskforce.
On Tuesday, the Nurses and Midwives Union in Uganda awarded Okundinia at this year’s celebrations of the scientific nurses day held at Mulago.
Okundinia was hailed for being selfless in serving the patients and her brevity that saw her wheel a patient for over three kilometres in absence of an ambulance.
“It happened that all boda bodas refused to take us following the president directives. On the way, three ambulances bypassed them but she continued with the journey,”Okundinia said of her act.
Following the incident authorities in Arua district accused her of exposing them.
However, several Ugandans including the Minister for Health Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng took to social media to applaud the nurse for saving the life of a Ugandan in this coronavirus crisis.
“A true hero, she is. True definition of service before self. I celebrate Sr Doris and all our health workers who sacrifice their lives to save thousands of lives daily. I appeal to the public to remember them in prayer and support them by following the MoH guidelines,” Dr.Aceng tweeted.
A few weeks ago, Minister Aceng visited Arua and personally met with the nurse before praising her for being selfless and committed to saving lives.
“This is a time for unity, team work, sacrifice, hard work, selflessness and a time for no politics,” she said.
“You (Okundinia) will get an award for being exemplary health worker, “while speaking on radio Parcis on May, 1, 2020.
Commenting about the incident, Okundinia said she didn’t know that what she had done was service above self but was informed of the same by a colleague who showed her photos and praises on social media since she doesn’t own a smart phone.
“I was saving life and didn’t know someone was there seeing what I was doing was more than expected,”Okundinia said.
Recently, Uganda Christian Institute in Lira offered Okundinia a scholarship for her to pursue a diploma in nursing at the institute.
““The purpose of this letter is therefore to notify the Ministry of Health management and to seek for further guidance on how we can engage with the beneficiary soon after the lockdown and to officially hand over to her this package,” the letter by the institute’s chairperson of the governing council, Prof Alfred Olwa to the Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary read in part.
