Dedicating her life to the well-being of others

Helena Kapofi is a registered nurse and midwife at the Katutura State Hospital. Kapofi has been in this occupation for 28 years but says it feels much longer than that.

She started working in Cuba in 1994 and started working in Namibia in 1996 at Windhoek Central Hospital and transferred to Katutura State Hospital in 1998 and there were times when she would rotate and work in clinics. She mentions that there was a time that she worked at a clinic in Angola.

In 1988, when she went to Cuba she was one of the students that chose to do nursing and was put in a position to be a nurse.

“I do not even regret being in this career at all because I feel so good when I am able to help someone. As a nurse you do not only act as a healer but you are also parent to the young patients and a daughter to the older patients,” said Kapofi.

Kapofi mentions that all she wanted to do was nursing and nothing else; she was very eager about what goes on in this particular career and she made sure to get into it.

She mentions that the best part about her job is that she can make an impact in someone’s life each and every day that she walks into the hospital.

She finds joy in turning her patients’ pain into a smile and always tries her best to make sure that her patients receive the best hospital experience despite what people say about the Katutura State Hospital.

Some of the challenges that has Kapofi faced is the language barrier, because when she came back to Namibia she could only speak Spanish, Portuguese and Oshiwambo.

It was quite difficult for her to start speaking English because in secondary school and university the languages that she spoke consisted of only those three languages.

Her biggest challenge to date is conveying the message of death towards a family because she never knows how they are going to take it. Some families get emotional and at times others put the blame on the nurse.

She has been in the industry for over 20 years but it still gets to her each and every time that she loses a patient. “I would say when coming into this industry we should learn how to take care of our mental health because that is something I never knew until it hit me.” said Kapofi.

Also, many times due to a shortage of nurses one nurse can treat over 25 patients, which can be quite exhausting.

Her children usually complain about her always being at work but she mentions that unfortunately this is how much she loves her job.