Pinarangalan sa Senado ang isang Filipino nurse na nagturok ng kauna-unahang bakuna laban sa Coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) na ginawaran ng George Cross Award sa United Kingdom at nagbigay ng karangalan sa bansa
Nanguna sa pagbibigay ng parangal at pagpapahalaga kay May Parson sina Senador Imee Marcos at Grace Poe sa ginanap na plenary sa Senado kamakailan.
Sa kanyang sponsorship speech sa Senate Resolution No. 230, sinabi ni Marcos na “the prestigious George Cross Award from Her Majesty, the late Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness the then Prince Charles, was given to Parsons for her courage, compassion, dedication, and bravery in the face of grave and mortal danger. It is yet another highlight in the extraordinary history of Filipino nursing and May today stands proudly in the llocano tradition of her mother Zenaida and Philippine Nursing’s founder Anastacia Geron Tupas from 1922,” ayon sa kanyang talumpati.
Ipinanganak at lumaki sa Pasay City, nagtapos si Parson sa Jose Abad Santos High School at nagtapos ng nursing degree sa University of Santo Tomas (UST).
Samantala, sinabi naman ni Poe na itinuturing na bayani ang mga nars na Filipino ng ating health care system kahit bago pa man ng pandemya, kaya’t nararapat hindi lamang pagtangi kundi mas mataas na benepisyo at sahod.
Ipinanawagan ito ni Poe matapos nitong papurihan si Parson sa hiwalay na resolusyon, (No. 347) na nagpapatingkad sa papel ng Filipino nurse sa pandaigdigang healthcare scene.
“Tunay na isang inspirasyon si Nurse May sa buong nursing profession. Like her peers in the health sector, her commitment to saving lives, delivering the best care possible, and creating a better and healthier future is truly commendable and worth these recognitions,” ayon kay Poe sa kanyang talumpati.
Sinabi ni Poe na hindi nagtatapos sa kanyang resolusyon hinggil sa pagkilala at papuri kay Parson mula sa gobyerno.
“Hindi lang dapat bragging rights ang ambag ng gobyerno dito. Our nurses can only do these heroic sacrifices to the extent that they are taken care of. We need to resuscitate our nursing profession,” ayon kay Poe.
“We should give back not just in terms of recognition but also in terms of actual benefits to make the nursing practice a genuine livable career for practitioners. Upgrading the minimum salary of nurses is the least that we can do for the sacrifice they gave in nursing us all back to health,” ayon sa kanya.
Lumipad si Parson matapos maglingkod sa UST Hospital ng tatlong taon at nagtrabaho sa National Health Service ng UK. Nagtatrabaho siya ngayon sa University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire at kasalukuyang isang Modern Matron for Respiratory Services. (PNA)
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
