~ Tony Pantophlet: We have invested in our own ~
CAY HILL--Health Care in St. Maarten and Saba was given a boost on Friday evening when 35 persons took the oath as Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs).
Of the 35 graduates, seven were from St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC), 19 from the White and Yellow Cross Foundation, two from St. Maarten’s Ambulance Department and seven from Saba.
Leader of Government Commissioner William Marlin praised the nurses, saying they belonged to a "special group of people," for the meticulous and caring work they did. He told the graduates and the capacity crowd at Belair Community Centre that the system did not compensate nurses the way they deserved. He also expressed hope that this would improve.
State Secretary for Health Patrick Illidge and Health Commissioner Hyacinth Richardson also praised them for their achievement.
A number of officials from Saba also attended the ceremony, including A.M. Edwards Medical Centre Director Dr. Gijs Koot, Health Commissioner Bruce Zagers, Leader of the opposition Saba Labour Party (SLP) Akilah Levenstone and Saba Health Care Department head Milva Linzey.
The LPN course and the exams were facilitated by SMMC’s Education Department team Tony Pantophlet and Brunilda Illidge, who were both praised throughout the ceremony and showered with roars of applause from the graduates and audience for their role in upgrading the workers. Pantophlet and Brunilda Illidge have played pivotal roles in upgrading a number of health care workers in the Windward Islands over the years.
Marlin said it was a calling to be a nurse and urged the graduates to improve their skills whenever they had an opportunity.
Both Pantophlet and Brunilda Illidge stressed the importance of the nurses delivering quality care as they put their skills to work.
Pantophlet said it was not an easy road, as many of the graduates had wanted to give up in the course early on. However, he had always encouraged them to continue. He said he was very proud of the graduates and urged them to treat patients the way they would want themselves or their loved ones to be treated.
He said, too, that nurses should not only care for the patients’ health, but also their social and emotional needs. "St. Maarten has to be proud; we have invested in our own," Pantophlet said.
Clarence Richardson of SMMC’s Supervisory Council said he knew it had been difficult for many of the nurses, as many of them had jobs and families, and some were single parents who juggled everything else with their classes. He commended them for their perseverance and their dedication.
Nursing School of the Netherlands Antilles IFE Director Sonia Ursulita-Rombley said she had been impressed with the nurses’ performance in their exams, stressing that they all had focussed on quality care. She said IFE would continue to cooperate with St. Maarten, even after the dismantling of the Netherlands Antilles.
At the end of the ceremony, the nurses from St. Maarten and Saba presented tokens to Brunilda Illidge and Pantophlet.
