PEOPLE of Derby are ashamed of that statue of Florence Nightingale which stands outside the old Derbyshire Royal Infirmary – it is a disgrace!
This great lady, the daughter of a country squire, sacrificed a life of comfort to devote it to healing the sick.
She was not only the best of British, but the whole civilised world owes her a great debt – she brought cleanliness and comfort to the sick all over the globe.
How special is that?
Today, too many people criticise the NHS. It is time to light Florence's lamp again and restore pride in this noble profession.
Maybe it would be a good idea to move the statue of the great lady to a more prominent place. I would suggest the entrance to the Royal Derby Hospital.
In future, let all who pass the statue see and remember that it was Florence Nightingale who brought a clean and devoted nursing service to the world.
When she was rich and comfortable, she was unhappy and asked out of sheer frustration: "Lord, what is to become of me?" Thank God her prayer was answered.
Queen Victoria herself knew how special this lady was, when she ordered that no petty prejudices thwarted her efforts that no matter what religion a person, or a nurse was from, good clean nursing care was the right of every human being. Amen to that!
Ken Miller
Allestree
