Kungani Sibadinga Abahlengikazi?
“Ubuhlengikazi bungelinye lamakhono anzima kakhulu. Umuntu angase ashukunyiswe uzwela, kodwa ulwazi yilo kuphela olusebenzayo.”—UMary Adelaide Nutting, uprofesa wokuqala wobuhlengikazi emhlabeni, ngo-1925.
INDLELA evamile yobuhlengikazi ihlehlela emuva ezinkulungwaneni zeminyaka—ngisho nasezikhathini zeBhayibheli. (1 AmaKhosi 1:2-4) Baningi abesifazane abavelele abaye banakekela abagulayo emlandweni. Ngokwesibonelo, cabangela u-Elizabeth waseHungary (1207-31), indodakazi yeNkosi u-Andrew II. Wahlela ukwabiwa kokudla ngesikhathi sendlala ngo-1226. Ngemva kwalokho, wahlela ukuba kwakhiwe izibhedlela lapho anakekela khona abanochoko. U-Elizabeth washona eneminyaka engu-24 kuphela ubudala, echithe isikhathi esiningi sokuphila kwakhe okufushane enakekela abagulayo.
Ngeke kukhulunywe ngomlando wobuhlengikazi kungakhulunywa ngoFlorence Nightingale. Ineqembu labahlengikazi abangu-38, le nkosazana eyiNgisi enesibindi yahlela kabusha isibhedlela samasosha eScutari, idolobhana laseConstantinople, phakathi neMpi YaseCrimea ngo-1853-56. Ngesikhathi ifika lapho, kwakufa abantu abacishe babe ngamaphesenti angu-60; lapho isihamba ngo-1856 abantu ababefa base bengaphansi kwamaphesenti amabili.—Bheka ibhokisi ekhasini 6.
Elinye ithonya elaba likhulu kwezobuhlengikazi kwaba yi-Institution of Protestant Deaconesses eKaiserswerth, eJalimane, uNightingale ayefunda kuyo ngaphambi kokuba aye eCrimea. Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, kwaba khona namanye amaqembu abahlengikazi avelele. Ngokwesibonelo, ngo-1903, u-Agnes Karll wasungula i-Professional Organization for German Nurses.
Namuhla, abahlengikazi bakha iqembu lezisebenzi ezingochwepheshe elikhulu kakhulu kwezempilo. I-World Health Organization ibika ukuthi njengamanje kunabahlengikazi nababelethisi abangaphezu kuka-9 000 000 abasebenza emazweni angu-141. Abeve benza umsebenzi obalulekile! I-Atlantic Monthly iphawula ukuthi abahlengikazi “bahlanganisa ukunakekela, ulwazi nokwethemba kube yimbumba ebalulekile ekusindiseni iziguli.” Ngakho, singabuza kufanele ngabahlengikazi sithi, Besiyoba yini ngaphandle kwabo?
Indima Yomhlengikazi Ekululameni
Enye inqolobane yolwazi ichaza ubuhlengikazi ngokuthi “inqubo lapho isiguli sisizwa umhlengikazi ukuze silulame ekuguleni noma ekulimaleni, noma ukuze siphinde sikwazi ukuzimela ngangokunokwenzeka.”
Yebo, kuningi okuhilelekile kuleyo nqubo. Ingaphezu nje kokwenza imisebenzi evamile, njengokuhlola ukushaya kwenhliziyo nomfutho wegazi. Umhlengikazi ufeza indima ebalulekile ekululameni kwesiguli. Ngokwe-American Medical Association Encyclopedia of Medicine, “umhlengikazi ukhathalela kakhulu indlela isifo esithinta ngayo isiguli kunesifo ngokwaso, futhi uzinikele ekudambiseni ubuhlungu bomzimba, ukuqeda ukukhathazeka kwengqondo nokugwema ezinye izinkinga eziwumphumela, uma kungenzeka.” Ngaphezu kwalokho, umhlengikazi “unakekela ngokuqonda, okuhilela ukulalela ngesineke ukukhathazeka nokwesaba [kwesiguli], asisekele ngokomzwelo futhi asiduduze.” Lo mthombo uthi lapho isiguli sifa, indima yomhlengikazi “ukusiza isiguli ukuba sife ngaphandle kokucindezeleka futhi ngokuthula ngangokunokwenzeka.”
Abahlengikazi abaningi benza okungaphezu kwalokho okudingwa umsebenzi wabo. Ngokwesibonelo, u-Ellen D. Baer wabhala ngalokho abhekana nakho eMontefiore Medical Center eNew York City. Wayengafuni ukuxhamazela lapho enza umsebenzi wakhe wasekuseni neqembu lodokotela abahlinzayo. Uyabhala: “Ngangifuna ukusala neziguli. Ngangifuna ukuzisiza lapho ziphefumula, ngizisize zihambahambe, ngizishintshe kahle amabhandeshi, ngiphendule imibuzo yazo, ngizichazele izinto ezithile futhi ngiziduduze. Ngangikuthanda ukusondelana nokuba nobuhlobo obuseduze neziguli.”
Akungabazeki ukuthi noma ubani oye wachitha isikhathi esibhedlela egula angamkhumbula umhlengikazi onozwela owayenalowo moya ofanayo wokuzidela. Kodwa yini edingekayo ukuze umuntu abe umhlengikazi onekhono?
[Isithombe ekhasini 3]
UFlorence Nightingale
[Umthombo]
Courtesy National Library of Medicine