Context: On the occasion of International Nurses Day, the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi expressed gratitude to nurses who are working round the clock to keep our planet healthy.
About International Nurses Day

• It is celebrated around the world every May 12 to mark the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale.
• The International Council of Nurses (ICN) commemorates this important day each year with the production and distribution of the International Nurses' Day (IND) resources and evidence.
• The theme of IND 2020 is Nurses: A voice to lead - Nursing the World to Health.
• Importance: The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated 2020 as The Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.
• Why is it celebrated? Nurses account for more than half of all the world’s health workers. It will encourage the entire nurse community and the public to celebrate the day as well as would provide necessary information and resources to raise the profile of the nursing profession.
• Significance of the day: Nurses are at the forefront of fighting epidemics and pandemics providing high quality and respectful treatment and care. The Covid-19 pandemic is a stark reminder of the vital role nurses play.
• Without nurses and other health workers, it is impossible to win the battle against outbreaks, and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals or Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

Step Taken by the Indian Government

• The Indian Nursing Council is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare that establishes uniform standards of training for nurses, midwives and health visitors.
• The Government has announced Rs. 50 lakh insurance cover per person (part of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana) for frontline health workers involved in managing the Covid-19 outbreak.
• The Government has also passed an ordinance for the protection of healthcare workers battling Covid-19 on the frontline.
• Recently, the Supreme Court directed the government to ensure the availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), to all health workers, including doctors, nurses, ward boys, other medical and paramedical professionals.

WHO recommendations from around the world

• To provide occupational safety and health of nurses and all health workers, including access to personal protective equipment so that they can safely provide care and reduce infections in health care settings.
• Nurses and all health care workers should have access to mental health support, timely pay, sick leave and insurance.
• They should be provided with access to the knowledge and guidance required to respond to all health needs, including outbreaks.
• Nurses should be given the financial support and other resources required to respond to future outbreaks.

About International Council of Nurses (ICN)

• It is a federation of more than 130 national nurses associations (NNAs), representing the more than 20 million nurses worldwide.
• It was founded in 1899 with its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
• It is the world’s first and widest reaching international organisation for health professionals.
• It works to ensure quality nursing care for all, sound health policies globally, the advancement of nursing knowledge, and the presence worldwide of a respected nursing profession and a competent and satisfied nursing workforce.

About Florence Nightingale

• Florence Nightingale was a British nurse, statistician, and social reformer who is also considered as a foundational philosopher of modern nursing.
• She was born in Florence, Italy, on May 12, 1820. The year 2020 marks a bicentenary year of her birth.
• During the Crimean War, she and a team of nurses improved the unsanitary conditions at a British base hospital, greatly reducing the death count. Her writings sparked worldwide health care reform.
• She was known for her night rounds to aid the wounded, establishing her image as the 'Lady with the Lamp’.