Sister Allison Andrew.
Image: Nadia Khan
As we commemorate International Nurses Day on May 12, the POST spoke to Sister Allison Andrew who is making invaluable contributions to the healthcare sector and to people's lives.
FOR more than five years, Sister Allison Andrew has dedicated herself to uplifting the lives of residents, especially in underprivileged communities, through various healthcare initiatives.
The 57-year-old nurse from Merebank founded the non-profit organisations – Mediskills Academy and Mediskills Foundation – through which outreach programmes are held.
However, her journey in health care started more than three decades ago.
Andrew said her desire to become a nurse started while in high school. She attended Merebank High School and matriculated in 1985.
“While in matric, my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer and became ill. I felt helpless because I couldn’t make her better. But my mother was a nurse and I knew how she helped people. I thought to myself, although I couldn’t help my grandmother, I could help others.
“After I matriculated, I got married and soon thereafter had two daughters. I became a stay-at-home mother, but I still had a burning passion to become a nurse. I decided to wait until my girls were a little older and then pursue a career in nursing,” she said.
She is pictured with the late matron, Monica Hurley, while at Westville Hospital.
Image: Supplied
In 1993, she applied for a trainee nurse position at the Westville Hospital.
“I filled out the application and was successful. They paid for my studies, and I completed the four-year nursing degree at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. I qualified as a registered nurse.
“While studying, I worked at the hospital and received a stipend of R1,080 a month. After completing my studies, I was employed full-time, working in various departments until I resigned in 2005. At the time, I was a team leader in the orthopaedic ward,” she said.
Andrew thereafter dedicated her time to community service.
“I worked mostly with the elderly, by dressing their wounds and administering medication or injections such as insulin at their homes. Through these interactions, they told me about the long waiting times at clinics or public hospitals. Just a simple blood pressure or sugar level test took hours. It caused them immense strain.”
She added that during this time, she completed courses in community health, occupational health, and health and safety, among others.
Andrew then decided to start the non-profit organisations in 2020.
“I had this dream of helping others who wanted to enter the healthcare industry but lacked the funds to study at a university or college. I initially started the academy as a business, and offered training in first aid level 2, home-based care, and as health promotion officers.
"However, most of the training was done pro-bono because many students came from underprivileged backgrounds, so I registered a non-profit. Since the start, I have had over 280 students, almost all of whom are gainfully employed.”
Andrew also started the foundation to give back.
“Funds from students who can pay are used for outreach programmes, which include health screenings for hypertension, diabetes and cancer. We provide HIV testing, general health advice, and a meal during these programmes.”
Andrew said her highlight had been providing assistance to the community of Tongaat following a tornado in June 2024.
“A day after the tornado, I gathered my current and former students, who took a day off from work, to accompany me to Tongaat. We walked from house to house checking on the residents. Some needed injections and pain medication, or they had lost all their chronic medication. It was a rewarding feeling to help.
“But I was proud of my students, who did not think twice about walking the journey with me. It is fulfilling to know I instilled in them the good values and characteristics necessary for working in the healthcare sector.
“What I learnt from my seniors back then, was that you need to have empathy and be compassionate. Nursing is not about making money, but wanting to help others. Sadly, I believe some of today's nurses lack these qualities,” she said.
Andrew said her advice to people wanting to pursue a career in nursing, was to “do it for the right reasons”.
“Nursing is a calling. If you have a passion to help others, then pursue it. For me, it has been the most rewarding journey, one I wish to continue for as long as I am able to.”