By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, May 13: If you’re a man, would you be willing to wear a pink female nurse uniform just to become a nurse?
Many people would have mixed feelings when posed with this question, but Andy Lim Han Siang did not hesitate in saying “yes” 17 years ago.
Now 42-years-old, Lim who is now working as a matron at Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) shared that he was posed with the question when he first landed a nursing job interview.
“During the interview, they asked me whether I was willing to go to such lengths as wearing a pink uniform of a female nurse. At that time, I did not think much and I agreed to it,” he told reporters when met during Sarawak Nurses Day 2022 celebration held at SGH Auditorium today.
He further said that while being a nurse is a profession closely associated to women, he explained that such gender issues were no longer significant today.
“However, a male nurse can portray a different role than a female nurse because men have their own ways in completing their tasks while the women tend to be more thorough. Nevertheless, the outcome of the task is still the same,” he said.
Lim previously studied at Melaka Nursing College for three years before his first posting to Putrajaya Hospital.
Despite having been in the field for 17 years, Lim is dedicated to improving his nursing knowledge as he is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Nursing at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas).
“One of the biggest challenges in being a nurse is to provide good services to our patients and their family because we are aware that when the patient is admitted to the ward, they are feeling very down.
“Therefore, the nurses have to elevate their spirit. To do so, we must have confidence and compassion,” he added.
Meanwhile, nurse Barry Bronie Angkum Robert Bedal, 37, who has 14 years of nursing experience described his career as a fun job.
“It is true that the field of nursing is monopolised by women but at the present time, many men have joined the field, including myself.
“I also hope that this profession can be further improved so that we nurses can be recognised as a professional group,” he said.
Earlier, the celebration was officiated by SGH director Dr Ngian Hie Ung.
Concurrently, SGH in collaboration with Serapi Cafe has contributed 200 packets of food, food vouchers and discount vouchers respectively for a stay at Serapi Hotel to the frontliners as a show of appreciation to those who have worked tirelessly during the Covid-19 pandemic. — DayakDaily
