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.
The Government of India launched the Ayushman Bharat initiative to provide quality and comprehensive primary health care to people of all walks of life. More than 64 lakh beneficiaries have been admitted for treatment under this programme and more than 20 thousand hospitals have been empanelled. I hope that those States which are yet to adopt and implement the Ayushman Bharat programme shall also do so at the earliest. This is a monumental health care programme, in whose success the nursing community shall play a key role. Your service and kindness towards the patients represent the healing touch which carries a ray of hope so important for those who are ailing.
There is a considerable increase in the demand for specialized, competent and highly skilled nurses. There is also a rising demand of human resource for third and fourth level care, which requires quality training institutes.
