May 11, 2021 by Goli Daragahi
Historically, as well as today, nurses are at the forefront of fighting epidemics and pandemics – providing high quality and respectful treatment and care. They are in fact the heroes of health. Nurses are often the first and sometimes the only health professional that people see and the quality of their initial assessment, care and treatment is vital and essential.
International Nurses Day (IND) is an international day considered around the world on 12 May, this day is the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth of each year, to mark the contributions that nurses make to society.
Nurses account for more than half of all the world’s health workers, yet there is an urgent shortage of nurses worldwide with 5.9 million more nurses still needed, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
The Covid-19 pandemic is a stark reminder of the vital role nurses play. Without nurses and other health workers, we will not win the battle against outbreaks, we will not achieve the Sustainable Development Goals or universal health coverage.
