A ‘force’ for change!

 Every year ‘International Nurses Day’ is celebrated in the month of May to mark the nurses’ contributions towards people’s health. You! takes a look...  

Across the globe, doctors occupy a sacred place where the diagnosis, management and treatment of illness is concerned. However, the fact remains that without paramedics - nurses, midwives and allied staff - a doctor can accomplish little in terms of proper and professional healthcare delivery.

The proverbial sister and a soothing hand - a nurse is generally perceived as a caring soul. Nurses help in the treatment, safety and recovery of chronically or acutely ill or injured people and perform a wide range of non-clinical functions necessary to the delivery of health care. They are available with the patient round the clock, checking on their health status from time to time, making notes, keeping compliance regarding their medicines and also handling life-threatening emergencies in a wide range of healthcare settings.

Aseefa Bhutto Zardari presenting the award...

Keeping the important role of nurses in mind You! takes a look at the significance of International Nurses Day (IND).

International Nurses Day is celebrated every year all around the world on 12th of May to commemorate the birth anniversary of the Florence Nightingale and to mark the nurses contributions towards people’s health. Nursing is the largest health care profession in the world and nurses are the key of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). This year’s theme was ‘Nurses: A Force for Change: Improving health systems’ resilience’.

History of International Nurses Day:

Nurses Day was first proposed by the Dorothy Sutherland (an officer from the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare) in the year 1953 and it was first celebrated by the International Council of Nurses (ICN) in the year 1965. However, it was in 1974, that the 12th of May was declared to be celebrated as the birthday anniversary of the founder of modern nursing, the Florence Nightingale. International Council of Nurses established this day to celebrate and highlight the importance of nurses’ role in providing the best health care services.

Annually, all around the world, promotional and educational activities are organized on this day to address various issues related to the field of nursing. The theme of celebration is selected based on nurses and environment, handling poor, poverty issues and many more. In many countries like Australia, United States, Canada and etc, IND is celebrated as a weeklong event, referred as National Nurses Week.

In our part of the world:

An estimate shows that there is a shortage of more than 1.5 million nurses in the country. According to the Economic Survey of Pakistan 2015-2016, the number of registered doctors in the country is 175,223 and dentists 15,106, while the number of nurses and qualified health visitors is 90,276 and 15,325 respectively. This estimate shows that only one doctor is available for 1,073 patients and one dentist for 12,447, while only one nurse is available for over 1,900 patients.

Honouring our silent  heroes:

Recently, to honour the backbone of our healthcare system, Pakistan’s First Nurses Awards ceremony was held on the International Nurses Day in Karachi. The Chief Guest of the award ceremony was Ms. Aseefa Bhutto Zardari and the event was jointly organised by Pakistan Nurses Forum and The Professionals Network with the collaboration of Ministry of Health Government of Sindh on the International Nurses Day 2016. At the occasion, about 32 female and male nurses were awarded for their tireless efforts in their respective organisations. Certificates of appreciation were also awarded to 30 nurses from 29 different government hospitals and nursing colleges. The event was attended by a large number of nurses, academia, CEOs from the corporate sector, social sector, media and the government officials.

 “When you are in the nursing profession, compassion, respect, and humanity form a large part of the work. I believe nursing is not a time bound job because the nurses work all day long, not only catering to the patients but also nurturing their families. Nurses should be appreciated every single day as they save thousands of lives and a single day is not enough to recognise their work,” Aseefa said during the ceremony.

Also, present at the event were ex-senator Abdul Haseeb Khan, Chairman KAATI Zahid Saeed and Chairman PSO Sardar Yasin Malik. Speaking at the occasion, Sarfaraz Asif, President PNF, informed, “Almost three years ago we conceptualized the idea that the services of nurses in Pakistan should be acknowledged and recognized at a bigger platform. And finally this dream has come to life.”

Saleem Michale advocate, Chairman PNF also spoke at the occasion and announced that the same event would be organized in all four provinces in the coming years. “Nurses play a major role during natural disasters. Things may go wrong but nurses stay firm and provide maximum assistance to patients,” remarked PNF patron Advocate Nadeem Sheikh.

The event concluded with the remarks that the services of nurses will be acknowledged and recognized at all the level of society and every one will contribute to this within their resources.