The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, presented the National Florence Nightingale Awards to nursing personnel in New Delhi today (December 5, 2019) on the occasion of International Nurses Day.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that nurses play a vital role in delivering quality and cost effective healthcare, addressing multiple health challenges and responding to health needs of individuals, families and communities. The world is more and more in need of care and compassion, and nurses indeed are a symbol of seva, shushrusha, karuna. For patients and their families, nurses are the face of healthcare services. He was happy to note that the World Health Organisation has announced 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and Mid-wife.

The President said that we have an increasing number of elderly people who deserve and require proper geriatric care. In India, families take care of our elders in their old age. However, with changing lifestyles the demand for professional care-givers to take care of the elderly is on the rise. These care-givers, who need not be trained nurses, would certainly benefit from basic training in geriatric care. Our nursing training institutions can consider developing short training programs for such care-givers too.