International News - July 2005

Child-friendly Designs Give Red Cross Nurses Lighter Touch

South Africa, June 27, 2005 (Cape Argus) - Strutting their stuff in the corridors of Red Cross Children's Hospital, modern-day nurses show that uniforms have come a long way since Florence Nightingale.

Today at the hospital, nurses of all ranks dress comfortably in lightweight shirts printed in every design from bumble bees to Winnie the Pooh.

"The children love them. These outfits are much less intimidating, but the patterns and pictures also distract the children when you're trying to do some procedure on them, which helps us too," said Red Cross sister Michele Maree.

But they're also clearly very comfortable to work in, especially when dealing with small children all day.

Chief professional nurse Trudie Roux, nursing project manager at Red Cross hospital, said the child-friendly garb had first been worn by staff in the burns unit some years ago.

"It started out as a child-friendly experiment, but it has now spread throughout the hospital," Roux said.

The June issue of the magazine Nursing Update proves just how far things have come since the time of Florence Nightingale, when nurses wore long black dresses with white spots, finished off with a white apron and broad belt, black shoes and stockings, and white cap.

The founder of nursing in South Africa, Sister Henrietta Stockdale, started her formal training in 1877 at the Carnarvon Hospital in Kimberley. During her time, sisters and nurses wore black uniforms, including a black cap and veil reminiscent of a nun's cloak.

There have been several adjustments since then - many of which included "leg of mutton" sleeves - but watching the nurses at Red Cross interact with their little patients, it's obvious they've got their modern-day touch just right.

Sri Lanka Looks to Attract Tourists with Uniforms, Prison Stay

Sri Lanka, June 13, 2005 (Reuters) - Want a tourism experience with a difference? Sri Lanka is converting a historic prison into a hotel so that visitors can enjoy the holiday of their lives -- presumably with time off for good behavior.

The Daily News reported on Thursday that Galle prison -- built in a centuries-old fort that is now a United Nations world heritage site -- would be developed into a tourist site.

Quoting Southern Province Governor Kingsley T. Wickremaratne, the state-owned paper said guests would have to abandon their holiday finery on check-in and would be issued prison uniforms for the duration of their stay.

"Unlike the star class hotels, there won't be luxury rooms fitted with hot water taps ... the rooms are none other than the prison cells fitted with iron bars," the governor said.

But the news said a "jailor" would allow guests to keep the keys to their cells and they could move about at will.

Galle Fort dates back to 1663 during the Dutch settler era and contains some of the finest examples of colonial architecture in the region.

Property in Galle fort is among the most expensive in Sri Lanka, and a number of grand old buildings -- which used to house the colonial Dutch and later British administrations, have already been converted into luxury hotels or museums.

A Sri Lankan company converted an old tea factory in the hill district of Nuwara Eliya into a hotel some years ago in its bid to offer tourism with a difference.

Singapore’s Officers to Get New Uniforms

Singapore, June 9, 2005, (NewsAsia.com) - CISCO officers will soon be wearing new uniforms. The move comes two weeks after the security organization was incorporated.

Previously, it was difficult to tell CISCO officers from police officers.

But all three thousand two hundred CISCO officers will start wearing the new uniforms from in mid-June.

That is because CISCO is now a private limited company, and staff no longer wear the Home Team's blue.

"We are talking about our own new corporate color. It is a tinge lighter than the old blue, and the material, a poly viscose, is lighter, breathes better and is more comfortable for our officers to wear," said Paul Chong, chief executive officer of CISCO.

The belt has also changed from black to brown which will make it easier to immediately recognize CISCO officers.

Cisco started out as the Guard and Escort Unit in 1958.

Back then officers wore shorts but over the years the uniform has been gradually updated to this latest design.

Besides the clothing, other aspects of CISCO have been getting a makeover.

At the new high-tech nerve center, staff keep track of security vehicles using GPS tracking systems, and officers out on duty will soon be able to report back their location at the touch of a button.

That means faster response times when security needs arise.