Former Nurses Association of Jamaica, (NAJ) President Edith Allwood Anderson has died. Allwood Anderson a firebrand, passed away at hospital in Kingston, Thursday, September 16.

She served as President of the Nurses Association of Jamaica from 1997 to 2000 and then from 2005 to 2010, among the longest service recorded by a president to the NAJ.

Despite her clashes with the Government in her strident advocacy for fair treatment and livable wages, the late president remained an icon to many.

In May 2015, Edith Allwood Anderson graced our lenses on International Nurses Day and spoke strongly about issues and areas she believes could improve nursing locally. She noted at the time that she was proud of the nurses and that until the day she dies, she would continue to fight for her profession. She had been battling illnesses, and by this had lost sight in both eyes, but was far from short-sighted about expectations for the profession she served.

Allwood Anderson as NAJ President established a centre for retired nurses in Kingston, and a foundation to assist nurses afflicted with chronic illnesses. She served her profession at various levels for 35 years prior to her retirement in 2012.

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