Tygerberg Hospital nominated nurse Rehana Maseti as its Hero Amongst Us for this week.
The hospital’s management started the campaign at the beginning of July to boost staff morale during the Covid-19 pandemic. It highlights a staff member’s achievements, abilities or personal qualities in the fight against Covid-19.
Ms Maseti has worked at Tygerberg Hospital for over a decade. This Parow East nurse is a caregiver to critically ill patients in the surgical ICU.
“I also assist doctors in invasive procedures, resuscitate unstable patients, help to provide physical assessment and administer treatment,” says Ms Maseti. She also reports on patients’ progress and also provides support to their families.
The Covid-19 pandemic has been stressful and demanding on many health workers.
“When it started there was much uncertainty in the unit. Every patient had to be treated like a person under investigation. I had to adapt to wearing personal protective clothing and when working with a Covid-19 patient had to minimise contact, which is difficult in an ICU setting with one-to-one nursing care. Wearing a N95 mask and visor makes it difficult to communicate and sometimes to comfort the patient,” she says. “I also had to learn how to minimise exposure and transmission while working in a clinical setting.”
Ms Maseti asks everyone to remember that, “Life is precious. We should appreciate one another because we don’t know what tomorrow might bring. We need to stay positive; this too shall pass. Covid-19 has shown that we can all work together as a team and give best care to our patients. Don’t stigmatise, Covid-19 knows no boundaries.”