Rosemary Okorafor, a registered nurse at the Karachi General Hospital, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, has been honoured with the 2024 international Daisy Award for her dedication to work, care and kindness.
Mrs. Rosemary Okorafor, a 49-year-old Assistant Director of Nursing became the first Nigerian to ever receive the international award, according to a statement signed by the Senior Special Adviser on Media to the FCT Mandate Secretary on Health Services and Environmental Secretariat, Dr. Dolapo Fasawe.
The Daisy Award is a recognition programme to celebrate and recognise nurses by collecting nominations from patients, families, and co-workers. It is run by our partners as a way to thank nurses for the care and kindness they provide.
Commending the resilience and commitment of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives in the FCT, particularly those working with the Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Fasawe hailed Okorafor for bringing honour to Abuja by securing the prestigious award, despite numerous nominations from other states.
Fasawe made this statement during the presentation of the international award to Mrs. Rosemary Okorafor, who surpassed other contenders by meeting the requirements for the award.
The award was presented by the National Association of Nigerian Nurses in North America.
Presenting the award, the association representatives, Dr. Emikia Iwu (board member) and Dr. Esther Oshunluyi (Chair of the Health Mission Committee) confirmed that the selection guidelines were strictly followed and expressed satisfaction that the best candidate was chosen.
They emphasised that the award aims to encourage and reward dedicated nurses while addressing the issue of nurses leaving the country for better opportunities abroad.
In recognition of their commitment, other nominees were also decorated with the Daisy Foundation chest pin.
The Director of Administration, Mr. Oguniran Akinkunmi, representing the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Baba Gana-Adam expressed the secretariat’s gratitude, noting that the award reflects the effective service delivery of health facilities in the FCT.
Akinkunmi added that health workers in the FCT have been empowered to tackle the diverse challenges of the city, and the recipient’s virtues mirror the general attitude of health workers within the FCTA.
Similarly, Fasawe reiterated the government’s commitment to providing basic hospital supplies, such as bandages, gloves, plasters, and methylated spirit, among others and issued a stern warning to all hospital administrators to comply with this directive and stop charging patients for these consumables or face the full consequences of the law.
“I strongly condemn and issue a firm warning to violators of the government’s directive that patients should not be coerced or forced to provide basic medical consumables, particularly the relatives of patients in emergency wards, who are already distressed by the condition of their loved ones and financially strained.”
The mandate secretary added that the monitoring team would soon visit hospitals to ensure full compliance with the directive and encouraged patients’ relatives and friends to report any violations to management.
