#InternationalNursesDay: As The World Battles COVID-19, People Thank Unsung Heroes For Their Selfless Service

New Delhi: On the occasion of the International Nurses Day 2020 which also marks the 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, various Bollywood celebrities, sports personalities and ministers showed their gratitude to the unsung heroes – nurses. The role of nurses become even more pivotal during the Coronavirus pandemic the world is facing right now. Nurses and other health care workers on the frontlines of the fight against deserve to be recognised and commended for their selfless service and today, the world is doing just that.

Expressing gratefulness to the nurses working round the clock to keep the planet healthy and in defeating COVID-19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that our nursing staff personifies abundant compassion. He tweeted, “International Day of the Nurse is a special day to express gratitude to the phenomenal nurses working round the clock to keep our planet healthy. Presently, they are doing great work towards defeating COVID-19. We are extremely grateful to the nurses and their families.”

Prime Minister Modi added, “Inspired by Florence Nightingale, our hardworking nursing staff personify abundant compassion. Today, we also reiterate our commitment to keep working for welfare of nurses and devote greater attention to opportunities in this field so that there is no shortage of caregivers.”

Thanking the backbone of the medical sector, Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted, “On #InternationalNursesDay, I express my gratitude towards all the nurses serving humanity across the world. Nurses are the backbone of our medical sector. Their role in containing the spread of COVID-19 is truly remarkable. India salutes our nurses for their tireless efforts.”

Former Congress party chief Rahul Gandhi gave the title of ‘unsung heroes’ to nurses and said they are the first line of defence against the COVID-19 disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. He tweeted, “Across India our nurses are working tirelessly, around the clock, to help save lives. They are our unsung heroes, our first line of defence against the Covid19 virus. On #InternationalNursesDay I thank & salute each & every one of them for their hard work & dedication.”

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Saluting the nurses risking their life and putting their families at risk, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, “Today is #InternationalNursesDay. Nurses are playing an important role in our fight against the coronavirus. We salute all those nurses who are selflessly attending to the patients in this time of crisis, putting themselves and their own families at risk.”

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan too thanked the nurses from Kerala serving across the world and said ‘We hold them in our hearts, not just today but everyday’. He added, “Today we pause to thank some of the most extraordinary people in our society; nurses. They are humanity’s frontline. Nurses from Kerala are serving across the world. We are proud of them.”

National President of the Bharatiya Janta Party, Jagat Prakash Nadda appreciated not only nurses but ASHAs, Anganwadi workers, and ANMs (Auxiliary Nurse Midwifery) for their compassion towards the nation.

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Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan too appreciated the selfless dedication of nursing professionals and called them strong and pivotal pillars of healthcare system. Dr Vardhan also launched a short film prepared by the Trained Nurses Association of India (TNAI).

Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar also marked the day by referring to nurses as silent guardians – making invaluable contributions to the health and safety of people.

Cricket captain Virat Kohli extended a thank you to the nurses for providing their service not only during challenging times like the world is facing right now but otherwise as well.

Bollywood actor Kajol thanked all the heroes fighting the COVID-19 battle with a mask on their face. Lauding the efforts, Kajol tweeted, “Behind that mask is a hero, who is saving the world in silence. Thank you to all those heroes, thank you to the nurses.”

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Actor Abhishek Bachchan extended respect and gratefulness by sharing a picture of a nurse with ten hands and each hand busy in service.

Actor and Producer Sanjay Dutt said that he can’t thank nurses and healthcare professionals enough for putting their lives at risk in order to save the lives of others. He noted that it’s because of their selfless service that so many lives have been saved.

Recognising the efforts of nurses, actor Madhuri Dixit Nene asked to value the efforts of nurses and be thankful for everything they are doing for us.

Actor Dia Mirza shared a video comprising of clips of several nurses from across the country introducing themselves and urged to stay at home in order to safeguard nurses who  lead the fight every day.

Actor Ayushmann Khurrana called the nurses as our real heroes who are fighting coronavirus every single day and saving lives despite being the most at risk. A news agency ANI quoted the actor saying,

We will be forever in debt to the nurses, the medical fraternity across India and the world for putting themselves on the line and coming to work when they could also be staying safe with their families. I only want to say thank you to them and their families from the bottom of my heart.

The sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik gave a beautiful tribute to Florence Nightingale through his sand art at Puri beach in Odisha. He called for utmost love, respect and support for nurses to fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

https://twitter.com/sudarsansand/status/1260108525516189697

A Brief History Of International Nurses Day

The International Council of Nurses, a federation of more than 130 national nurses associations, representing more than 20 million nurses worldwide, has been celebrating the day since 1965. ICN commemorates this important day each year with the production and distribution of the International Nurses’ Day (IND) resources and evidence. Each year the day is celebrated with a unique theme and the theme for this year is ‘Nursing the World to Health’.

Also Read: Mumbai Mayor Dons Her Nursing Uniform To Motivate Frontline Heroes Fighting Against COVID-19

WHO’s Commitment Towards Highlighting The Importance Of Nurses

This year, the World Health Organization (WHO) has joined hundreds of partners worldwide to highlight the importance of nurses in the healthcare continuum and thank nurses for what they do. For the same, WHO has urged countries to ensure three things – the occupational safety and health of nurses and all health workers, including unhindered access to personal protective equipment; providing nurses and all health care workers access to mental health support, timely pay, sick leave and insurance, up-to-date knowledge and guidance required to respond to all health needs; financial support and other resources required to help respond to and control COVID-19 and future outbreaks.

Also Read: WHO Calls For Urgent Need Of Investing In Nurses- Frontline Heroes Fighting Against COVID-19