On this International Nurses Day on 12 May, I offer my salute to all Nurses including Florence Nightingale as when I was born (a little more than 65 years ago) in addition to others a nurse took care of me to take a breath in this world. So, I have huge regard for all medical staff as my father completed his MBBS in the early 1950s rendered his selfless service to human beings in general and the poor in particular.
This year like the earlier two years because of the awful impact of COVID19, people of the world irrespective of rich or poor, caste, creed, religion, language, etc., have been observing the services rendered by the nurses along with other medical staff. Even a few nurses have passed away while nursing the patients and many have been infected with the coronavirus.
Anyway, every year 12 May is celebrated as International Nurses Day in commemoration of the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale. It may be mentioned here that Florence Nightingale was born on 12 May 1820 in a wealthy and well-connected British family at the Villa Colombia. She was a British social reformer and statistician, and the founder of contemporary nursing. Moreover, she was a great human being and had feelings for sufferers, and for this reason, she came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War, in which she organized to care for wounded soldiers.
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has announced the new theme for International Nurses Day (IND) 2022: Nurses: A Voice to Lead – Invest in nursing and respect rights to secure global health, focusing on the need to protect, support, and invest in the nursing profession to strengthen health systems around the world. According to the publication, “Nurses: A Voice to Lead Invest in nursing and respect rights to secure global health” by the INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF NURSES (2022)
The benefits of protecting the safety of nurses include the following:
• Reduced hospital-acquired infections
• Greater productivity, increased job satisfaction, and improved retention of nurses
• Improved workplace health and safety, which improves patient safety and patient outcomes
• Supporting stronger and more resilient health systems
• Reduction in workplace induced injury and illnesses and improved health and wellbeing
• Improved return on investment.
Also, it is evident from the publication that “WHO estimates that from January 2020 to May 2021 at least 180,000 health and care workers died as a result of COVID-19 (WHO 2021b). These deaths are a terrible tragedy. In addition to the human toll, the ever-expanding ripple effect is the growing and irreplaceable gap in the health workforce leading the world’s pandemic response”.
The President International Council of Nurses Dr. Pamela Cipriano said: “Nurses have suffered tremendously throughout the pandemic. They have been unnecessarily exposed to the virus, faced attacks from the public, suffered from extreme workloads, and continue to be underpaid and undervalued. If governments continue to put off investing in the health workforce, it will be to the detriment of health systems everywhere. There is no health without a healthy workforce!
‘The International Nurses Day case studies that we have been collecting portray the incredible work of nurses, and our IND theme for 2022 will continue to promote nursing work and fight for nurses’ rights to a safe working environment, decent wages, and full participation in decision-making.”
Florence Nightingale although has passed away on 13 August 1910 but will remain alive in the hearts and memories of millions in the world for her humanitarian service.
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