Having the confidence to overcome the challenges to reachout to those in need of care is the greatest inspiration for a dedicated nurse like Alitia Navukula Vialani.

Having over 15 years of experience into nursing, Ms Vialani knows the way to thrive through the challenges of being a community nurse.

Ms Vialani’s passion for nursing originated at a time when she lost her grandmother to a serious illness.

It was during those few hours she spent in a hospital watching how the nurses tried to look after her grandmother that inspired her to choose nursing as a lifetime career.

After completing the nursing studies, Ms Vialani joined the Sigatoka Hospital for an internship programme in 2001.

Then she moved to the Vunisea Health Centre in Kadavu before being posted to Keyasi Health Centre which is located right in the highlands of Nadroga/Navosa in Sigatoka.

Having spent 13 years as a registered nurse at the Keyasi Health Centre, Ms Vialani had become a role model and motivation for rural nurses in Fiji.

According to Ms Vialani, being a community nurse is more exciting and challenging than being a nurse in urban hospitals.

Her role is not confined to hospital wards, it goes far beyond than that which makes her profession much more unique and enriching.

“Part of my role is to do community visitations during the outreach programmes.

“There is a village under my catchment area, Matukana Village, one of the remotest villages in the mountains of Navosa.

“And in order to reach to that village, we travel some distance by road, then we get off to a point where we have to walk for at least six to eight hours to reach that village.

“The villagers usually send horses, but that’s only to load our bags and packs which we take across for the health programmes.

“Then we have to walk through mountain terrains and wade through rivers, it’s one of the toughest experiences, but most rewarding to know that as nurses we have the courage to go beyond the expected to reach out and contribute positively in the development of the communities that we are mandated to serve.

“We stay in the villages for two to three days and conduct programmes like immunisation for children, health inspection, conduct health screenings, awareness sessions on prevention of the non-communicable diseases.

“In this process, we also build friendship with these communities and for the prevention and treatment programmes to be effective this multisectoral approach is crucial,” Ms Vialani said.

According to Ms Vialani, becoming a community nurse requires more than knowledge, it requires a caring heart that is willing to listen, understand and help those that trust you with their lives.

“Nursing is a much higher noble calling than merely a profession, it means going the extra mile to help your patients, to give them the advice and help to develop a healthy and happy life.

“It means being respectful and considerate towards those who need our help.

“For anyone to become a good nurse, it is through their care and compassion for others that will provide them with daily motivation to learn, and every day presents you with opportunities to prosper,” Mrs Vialani said.

Ms Vialani will be pursing her postgraduate studies in midwifery at the Fiji National University, Suva campus.

Upon the completion of the one year programme, she hopes to be of a greater assistance at the new Keyasi Subdivisional Hospital, a major capital project currently pursued by the Ministry of Health and Medical Services.

The current Keiyasi Health Centre will be upgraded to a sub-divisional hospital over a period of three years.

Ms Vialani currently resides at Keyasi Village with her husband and four children. Apart from community work, her hobbies include reading, travelling and spending time with her family.

Source: Ministry of Health and Medical Services

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