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Much-Loved Nurse Remembered By Colleagues
Date: 19 October 2007
Much-Loved Nurse Remembered By Colleagues
Waikato Hospital colleagues are mourning the loss of Pacita Yusores San Juan, 51, the nurse who died in an accident on State Highway 1 north of Huntly on Tuesday.
Ms San Juan and her husband Virgilio Tungala De Dios, 57, died at the scene.
Ward four clinical nurse manager Carolynne Gill today said Placita was highly respected and loved.
She first joined Waikato DHB in 2002 as an international student and worked in ward four - Waikato Hospital's urology ward - for three months. Before she came to New Zealand, Ms San Juan had worked as a charge nurse in the Middle East in a variety of wards.
Ms Gill said there was not an immediate vacancy in the ward so Ms San Juan worked in a general surgery ward until a job came up four years ago.
"She was just one of those quiet people who get on and did a good job. It took her awhile to settle into the ward initially. She had a wonderful smile - when she smiled, it lit up her face and she had a really, really wicked sense of humour."
Ward four is a small 13-bed unit with close-knit staff who are all feeling the loss keenly, said Ms Gill.
Ms San Juan was not only a loved and valued colleague in the hospital but also in the Hamilton community where she loved helping people. Her 27-year-old son is coming to New Zealand from the Philipines for the requiem mass funeral expected to be on Wednesday or Thursday at the Catholic Cathedral in Hamilton.
The couple's 13-year-old son is being cared for by family friends. Waikato DHB general manager health services Jan Adams said Ms San Juan's colleagues were grieving the loss of a valued nurse and friend and were being supported themselves during the difficult time. Plans were being put in place to ensure her colleagues could attend the funeral next week with minimal disruption to the ward.
Six people were taken to
Waikato Hospital after the accident. A 40-year-old woman is
still in a critical condition in the intensive care unit
while a 47-year-old is in a stable condition in the High
Dependency Unit.
ends
Waikato District Health Board
Healthy People. Excellent Care
Waikato District Health Board (DHB) employs over 6500 people and plans, funds and provides hospital and health services to more than 391,770 people in a region covering eight per cent of New Zealand.
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