The four-day International Nurses Day celebration, held from May 8—12, 2023 by the Liberian Nurses Association (LNA), has ended in grand style. The closing celebration was marked by members of the association and their partners parading the Tubman Boulevard, Congo Town.
Damah Yekeson-Koffa, the wife of the Deputy Speaker of the 54th House of Representatives, J. Fonati Koffa, served as the keynote speaker for the closing ceremony, which was held at the LNA-proposed headquarters site in Foley Town, Margibi County, along the Robertsfield Highway.
Yekeson-Koffa used the occasion to encourage Liberian nurses to be more professional in serving their duties, elaborating on the standard principles in the nursing profession.
Koffa, who is also the Deputy CEO for Administration at John F. Kennedy Medical Center, said it is necessary as nurses to take ownership of the patients and collaborate with the doctors on ground during the patients’ ailing period.
She underscored the importance of the LNA within the nursing profession. According to her, nurses are advocators in the interest of their patients. “We must have a voice for nurses on the international level,” she added.
For his part, Benjamin O. Suamey, President of the LNA, appreciated the various institutions which provided their support toward the celebration.
He named USAID as the biggest sponsor of the just-ended International Nurses Day celebration.
The LNA President spoke on the need for the construction of a future home of the LNA.
The celebration was climaxed by a grand rally, which went very well.
Koffa presented US$1,000 cash to the LNA family, and pledged US$10,000 on behalf of her husband who should have been the chief launcher of the rally.
Some institutions and individuals presented cash and pledges at the rally.
Day four of the LNA celebration went well and was well attended by members of the LNA and guests.