WORLD INTERNATIONAL NURSES DAY
As the world marks the world’s international Nurses day on every 12th of May, it is also important to educate the people on the reason why as well as how to celebrate these amazing people who go overboard to take care of their patients with love, caring and hope that their patients will heal.
May 12th is an important date to all nurses, as it is the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, who is widely considered the founder of modern nursing. In January 1974, this day was finally officially made International Nurses Day. Each year since then, the International Council of Nurses ICN prepares and distributes something called the International Nurses Day Kit which contains educational and public information materials, for use by nurses everywhere.
There is a different theme that is attributed to International Nurses Day every year. We would recommend taking a look at the theme, as this will give you a better understanding of the focus and could even help you to decide what you are going to do to celebrate International Nurses Day. For example, one of the recent themes was “Nursing the world to health.” This theme was designed to focus on the real value that nurses bring to people all over the globe. A lot of the major organizations around the world that embrace this date of international nurses day will use the theme to guide their celebrations and activities.
How to celebrate International Nurses day
Because this day of international nurses day is all about celebrating nurses’ endless contributions to society, take this opportunity to show a nurse who has taken care of you how much you appreciate him or her. As with most gestures of appreciation, whatever you decide to do need not be grand or cost much money. Sad as it is, many people neglect to thank their nurses at all, seeing them only as robots who only know how to follow the doctor’s orders, so every little way to say a simple “thank you” will definitely make that nurse’s day.
If you are feeling especially grateful for the way a certain nurse took care of you (fed you, brought you a blanket, cleaning vomit off of you, monitored your vital signs, made sure you were getting the right pills, changed your wound dressings, helped you get to the bathroom, let you cry on his or her shoulder, or any of the hundreds of other things nurses do), today is the day to show that gratitude. So take a trip down to the hospital with a box of chocolates, a nice bottle of wine, or anything else you think that particular nurse might like.
Countries must prioritize investing in nurses based on measurable, transparent, and realistic actions to build a highly qualified and resilient nursing workforce that can respond to the changing contexts and needs of the population and ensure health for all by all.
“Our nurses face many challenges, including working under extremely difficult conditions with security concerns, as many countries in our Region are experiencing protracted crises. We must think innovatively and propose concrete actions to address these challenges,” Dr Al-Mandhari stated.
On International Nurses Day, while acknowledging the work of nurses in our Region and beyond, WHO and partners call on all world leaders to invest in nurses in advancing Universal Health Coverage and Health Security. Nurses deserve our solidarity, support, and recognition.
Emphasizing the true value of our nurses, and the central role they have to play in influencing change, can transform the future of health care in Africa.
As WHO in Africa, we are supporting Member States to strengthen nursing and midwifery through the implementation of the Global Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery (SDNM) 2021-2025, and an inter-related set of policy priorities to guide the contributions of nurses and midwives to achieve Universal Health Coverage, and other population health goals.
