SP national councilor Farah Rumy: This nurse specialist is conquering the Federal Palace

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A major interview in the NZZ, countless reports in regional newspapers, detailed portraits on radio and TV. With her surprising election as a member of the National Council, Farah Rumy (32) has become a media star. “My life has changed considerably in recent months,” says the SP politician at home in Grenchen SO.

In 2020, Rumy still works as a specialist in interventional cardiology in the cardiac catheter laboratory of the Bürgerspital Solothurn. Here she treats patients with heart attacks. It is often a matter of life and death, of quick decisions and quick actions. When your pager beeps, it means: Go! Even if it’s the middle of the night. «I often worked shifts of twelve to sixteen hours. But I found the work meaningful because we could save lives.”

As the pandemic spreads, their daily working lives are also changing. “The effort due to the protective measures was twice as great. And even when I got Covid myself and was miserable, I was expected to work.” One evening a colleague resigns and Rumy thinks things cannot continue like this.

roots and desires

Farah Rumy was born in Sri Lanka. Her father found a job in the watch industry in Grenchen in the 1990s and she came to Switzerland with her mother and sister when she was six. Whenever possible, Rumy visits her grandparents in Colombo every two to three years. “I am proud of my roots, but that is not why I was chosen,” she says.

After school she did an internship at the hospital and then an internship as a health specialist at Spitex. She then studies at the Secondary Technical School in Olten. Here she met Corinne Dirt (32), still one of her best friends. “I knew from the beginning that Farah was not a normal nurse, that she would become more than that. “She has always been very determined,” says Fehling.

“I never really wanted to go into politics,” Rumy says. “I didn’t want to make myself vulnerable.” But when the situation in healthcare deteriorated so much, she became involved in the nursing initiative and joined the SP. She demonstrates, hands out flyers and gives speeches. “The SP came to me and asked if I wanted to stand as a candidate.” Surprisingly, she reached the canton council of Solothurn and the municipal and civic council of Grenchen. Another surprise last year: she ended up behind Franziska Roth in the elections for the National Council. With her and Patrick Hässig (45) from Zurich, two nurse specialists are moving to Federal Bern.

She fights for her colleagues

As a newcomer, she did not get a seat in the body she wanted, the Commission for Social Security and Public Health. Before this she sits on the Foreign Policy Committee. “That is also very exciting.” Yet she continues to advocate for her nursing colleagues: “Working conditions must change. Breaks and working hours must be strictly observed and the basic workload must be reduced.” She keeps getting phone calls, emails and letters. “The nurses chose me, and they now have expectations of me,” Rumy says. “Of course it’s a pressure. But I also do it myself, because I want something to change.”

The pandemic has made Farah Rumy not just a politician, but also a fighter – even if that was never her intention.

Source:Blick