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Kovsie Health celebrates international nurses day

12 May 2022 | Story Jóhann Thormählen | Photo Supplied

Kovsie Health nurses — The University of the Free State has nursing staff on the Bloemfontein, South and Qwaqwa campuses who serve staff and students daily.

Being able to care, love and help others. These are some of the reasons why nursing staff from Kovsie Health at the University of the Free State (UFS) enjoy and get fulfilment from their profession.

They believe in making a difference and live it out daily while at work on campuses of the UFS.

Like many in their field, they overcome challenges to assist others and that is why Kovsie Health also celebrates International Nurses Day today.

International Nurses Day is celebrated on 12 May to honour nurses around the world for the work they do. It is celebrated on the day Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, was born.

According to Sister Riana Johnson, Deputy Director: Health and Wellness Centre at the UFS, it is important to celebrate the day as it honours nurses, who often work under challenging circumstances.

Nurses from Kovsie Health serve students and personnel on the UFS Bloemfontein, South and Qwaqwa campuses.

Johnson says her love for people made her chose nursing as a job. “It is a profession where I can live that out by caring and helping others.”

Sister Florence Maleho, who works on the South Campus, agrees: “It is all about giving your best, forgetting about yourself and being there for others.”

According to Sister Corné Vorster her work is challenging on a cognitive level and fulfilling.

“It is a very stimulating and in the same sense you work multidisciplinary with many other disciplines in the medical field.”

Sister Sarien de Necker says helping students in need and seeing their grateful response makes it more than worthwhile.

“It is about really making a difference,” she says.

Qwaqwa Campus Nursing staffQwaqwa Campus Nursing staffQwaqwa Campus Nursing staff

Qwaqwa Campus nursing staff. (Photo: Supplied)

News Archive

Pres Steyn turns pink in anticipation of Vryfees

2014-06-06

Video clip
Live streaming

Australian artist Cigdem Aydemir vacuum packed the Pres Steyn monument on the Bloemfontein Campus’s Red Plain – in pink. Aydemir’s project, ‘Plastic Histories’, forms part of a public art project that encourages us to evaluate public monuments in their historical context.

By vacuum packing monuments, Aydemir alludes to their significance and preservation. At the same time, though, it reveals the nature of their contentious and gendered historical function. This is because most monuments in post-colonial countries typically celebrate men’s achievements in serving their nations.

In response, this project acknowledges the contribution of women from all races, communities and sexual orientations to the grand narrative of a post-apartheid South Africa.

Aydemir is also developing an app in collaboration with Australian artist Warren Armstrong. This will be used for augmented reality viewing of three city monuments – those of President Brand, General De Wet and General Hertzog. This means that visitors will be able to hold a smart phone or iPad in front of the monuments and view the monuments as if vacuum packed in pink plastic.

In conjunction with the public art project there will be an exhibition of digitally manipulated photographs of nineteen-century and contemporary male monuments in Bloemfontein. These photos will be exhibited at the Johannes Stegmann Gallery at the UFS Sasol Library from 15 July – 1 August 2014.

Public tours on the Bloemfontein Campus and into the city will take place on:

• Tuesday 15 July at 11:00,
• Wednesday 16 July at 14:00, and
• Saturday 19 July at 11:00.

Aydemir’s ‘Plastic Histories’ public art project is part of the UFS Programme for Innovation in Artform Development (PIAD) and the Vryfees arts festival’s partnership with the Australian-based SituateArt in Festivals initiative. This partnership is managed by the Salamanca Arts Centre in Tasmania.