Under the International Council of Nurses, International Nurses Day is held worldwide every year on May 12 to emphasize the role and importance of nurses in providing the best health care services. In 1953, Dorothy Sutherland, an official in the US Department of Health, Education and Welfare, President Dwight D. Eisenhower declared ‘Nurses’ Day’. International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world on Florence Nightingale’s birthday.
1820 May 12, the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale was born. During the war she worked as a manager of trained nurses helping wounded soldiers. Thus reformed the health care services and the nursing profession. In 1860, she started the ‘Nightingale School of Nursing’ at St. Thomas Hospital in London. Nurses Day is organized by selecting a theme every year based on the issues of nurses, environment, poverty etc. Week-long celebrations are held in Australia, United States, Canada and other countries. This year in 2023 we are organizing Nurses Day with the theme “Our Nurses – Our Future”.
The central government, which is working for the welfare of nurses, will set up 157 government nursing colleges in the country in the next two years. Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya himself announced it. There are currently 5,324 nursing institutes in India. 157 new nursing colleges will join this list in next 24 months. The central government has allocated a total budget of Rs.1,570 crore for the establishment of these institutes. Government of India is planning to start a new nursing college in every medical college. Around 16,000 undergraduate seats will be made available to students through the establishment of these nursing colleges.
This will expand medical education in the country. Center has sanctioned 157 medical colleges to various states of the country. Nursing colleges are also going to be started in connection with them. The Telangana state government will also recruit an additional 1,827 staff nurses for nine new medical colleges. Admissions of students will start from next year. 203 staff nurses will be allotted to each medical college. Also, the state government has also issued a recruitment notification for 5,204 staff nurses in December 2022. Central and state governments should provide more funds and encourage them for the welfare of nurses who are working with the aim of community service. Good facilities should be provided to nurses in government and private hospitals. Efforts should be made to encourage the nursing students who are doing B.Sc Nursing with service perspective and not professional courses and get employment and job opportunities for them. Let us always respect the patience who of nurses who provide health services as a human being in our family.
