Nagaland along with the rest of the world celebrated International Nurses Day on Friday under the theme, “Our Nurses. Our Future” to commemorate the 201st birth anniversary of the founder of modern nursing Florence Nightingale.
At the program held in the Multipurpose Hall, Naga Hospital Authority Kohima (NHAK), Commissioner & Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Y Kikheto Sema, IAS appreciated nurses for the sacrifices and the noble service they render to mankind despite of all the challenges.
Pointing the crucial role of nurses he said, “Covid-19 pandemic is a reminder of the vital role played by nurses” and added without nurses and other health care workers we would not win the battle against Covid-19.
“If the doctors are considered to be next to God since they save us from sicknesses, I feel the nurses should be regarded as angels because they stay by the doctor’s and help them” he said.
Commissioner & Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Y Kikheto Sema, IAS
He informed that the State as per the Indian Public Health System (IPHS) have a huge shortage of nurses with about 952 staff nurses and 845 Auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM), totalling 1797 of which 21 are male staff nurses.
Stating that 70 percent of the global health workforce consist of women, Sema stressed the need to appoint more male nurses to tend to male patients, especially in the Intensive Care Units, etc.
Emphasising on the need of the nurses in the state and the importance of investing in nursing he said, “A hospital with less nurse is like a building with weak foundation” adding “we can no longer continue to undervalue and underinvest in nursing”.
Further he informed that Government of India has approved for the upgradation of School of Nursing to a nursing college and said, “We hope to start the first Government Nursing College in near future”.
“To be a good nurse, the 6Cs – Care, Compassion, Courage, Communication, Commitment, Competence – are a central part of ‘Compassion in Practice,’” the Commissioner & Secretary of H&FW said, adding that problem solving skills and sense of humour is also an important component.
Student nurses of SON, NHAK presenting a song (L), Kepelhoutsei-ü, Nsg, Superintendent, NHAK lighting the lamp (R)
Introducing the theme, Tiakala Longkumer, Principal SON, NHAK said, the theme is a call to strengthen the health system and to invest in nursing to address the growing global health demand ensuring a strong future for the profession.
She stressed on the need to expand their roles of practice to meet professional demands and said, “the nursing profession is faced with many challenges such as shortage of nurses, working in high stresses environment leading to burnout mental health challenges, low salary in private sector and also in contractual jobs, lack of timely promotions, opportunities of career growth and lack of dignity and recognition.”
Longkumer appealed the people to advocate for health using wide variety of opportunities with an intent to affectively meet the challenges of the health sector and said, “Our future depends on every nurse, every voice, do not only be on the frontline of care but also be on the frontline of change.”
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Earlier Kepelhoutsei-ü, Nsg. Superintendent, NHAK, lit the symbolic lamp.
Welcome address was delivered by Pezalhouwheno, President, Trained Nurses’ Association of India (TNAI), NHAK while vote of thanks was proposed by Mary Tikhir, secretary-welfare TNAI, Local Branch. Invocation was pronounced by Vikepu Tepa, Chaplain, NHAK and the programme was chaired by Alula Walling, secy. Finance, TNAI, Local Branch.
The programme concluded with nurses singing the anthem followed by a mass prayer.
