President Celebrates Raksha Bandhan With Nursing Professionals

New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind celebrated Raskha Bandhan with members of the nursing community at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday. Those who met and conveyed Rakhi greetings to the President included representatives of Trained Nurses’ Association of India, the Military Nursing Service and the President’s Estate Clinic. During a brief interactive session, the nurses narrated their experience in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The President felicitated them and described them as saviours who are not only saving lives but also risking their own lives in the line of duty. Such commitment to duty earns respect for nurses who have been performing the role of front-line COVID warriors, he said, according to an official release.

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The President said that traditionally sisters seek their brothers’ protection to keep them from harm’s way on the day Raksha Bandhan and, in case of nurses, it is they who through their dedication and commitment extend a helping hand to their brothers and ensure protection for all people.

Referring to the two members of Military Nursing Service (MNS) who had tested COVID-19 positive while dealing with patients but recovered soon and resumed their duty with renewed vigour, the President thanked the entire nursing fraternity for their sincere dedication and services to fellow citizens during the pandemic.

He also conveyed his best wishes to the entire nursing community on the occasion of Rakhsha Bandhan.

The release said that the nurses earlier shared their experiences of helping the COVID-19 patients and they all seemed unanimous in their opinion that COVID-19 patients suffer severe mental stress due to wrong impression about the disease and the problem needs to be addressed medically and through counselling.

The President gave a patient hearing to the nurses’ opinion and complimented them for the exemplary services to the nation.

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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.