Nurses practitioners had their dedication highlighted as part of National Nurse Practitioner Week.

The annual week, which honours nurses with advanced training, started on Monday with the theme of “NPs: going the extra mile”.

Lunette Castillo a nurse practitioner and a Bermuda Nurses Association executive member, said: “Bermuda is currently facing many health crises and without a multidisciplinary team-based approach our healthcare system will not thrive.

“Nurse practitioners offer a cost-effective solution to many of the issues that our country is facing.”

Dr Castillo added: “Moreover, with the prevalence of chronic disease on the rise, our population ageing, anticipation of recurrent global pandemics and underemployment increasing, nurse practitioners offer a sustainable solution to our evolving healthcare needs.”

Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with advanced qualifications and specialise in specific areas of healthcare.

They have spearheaded Covid-19 public health programmes around the world, including vaccination drives, test centres and extra intensive care units.

Dr Castillo said that there were several nurse practitioners registered on the island, but only one was partnered with the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and none were partnered with the Department of Health.

She added that nurse practitioners had been active in the United States for more than 50 years and handled more than one billion patient visits year.

Dr Castillo told the public: “Join the Bermuda Nurses Association in acknowledging all nurse practitioners who have gone the extra mile in various capacities that continue to help establish their role as a partner of healthcare in Bermuda.”