International Nurses’ Day observed in Kohima town
Our Correspondent
KOHIMA, MAY 12
It was truly a day to remember the contribution and role healthcare personnel, particularly nurses, play in the lives of peoples and society. A day marking International nurses’ Day was observed in Kohima recently but with a call for ‘more people’ who are willing to ‘go beyond the call of duty, looking for ways to perform their jobs more effectively, help one another in passing knowledge and find more innovative ways in the health care sector even in times of financial constraint’.
Joining the rest of the world, the Kohima branch of the Trained Nurses’ Association of India (TNAI) observed International Nurses’ Day in the premises of the Naga Hospital Authority of Kohima on Tuesday, May 12.
International Nurses’ Day is celebrated around the world every May 12, commemorating the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale and marking the selfless contribution of nurses to the health of people and communities.
This year’s celebration was marked by a theme, ‘Nurses: a force for change, care effective, cost effective’.
Commissioner & Secretary for Health & Family Welfare, M Patton, who attended the celebratory occasion in the state’s capital town today, paid rich tributes to nurses and thanked them for the extraordinary care, dedication and support that their noble profession provides.
“Your daily sacrifices, hard work and immense dedication are truly commendable and inspiring... Your service and care is not only to the well being of the patients but also to their loved ones and society at large. You touch lives every day, epitomizing values of patience and untiring care that I would call ‘humane touch’,” the official stated.
Asserting that nurses play important roles as doctors and are indispensable to a society’s well being, Patton pointed out that even healthcare researches have emphasized the critical role of nurses in providing quality, safe, and efficient healthcare services.
He said the role of nurses will become even more important in the future as the global health system and philosophy shifts towards preventive care that will require less of intensive physician/doctor intervention and more of routine preventive measures which nurses alone can adequately provide. This is ‘lower-cost, higher-touch, prevent and manage’ model will entail nurses to take on many diagnostic and treatment tasks, he opined.
Also, Patton stated that departments such as education and health have an edge in terms of remuneration in comparison to other services. Thence, he said, the quality of health service should correspond to their (healthcare personnel’s) wages.
“Government spends huge amount of money in health sector and the success of the schemes and policies depend a lot on the people executing it,” he told the gathering.
The official observed that for a better and convenient public health services, a basic requirement is for more people who are willing to go beyond the call of duty, looking for ways to perform their jobs more effectively, help one another in passing knowledge and find more innovative ways in the health care sector even in times of financial constraint. He expressed hope that nurses in Nagaland would confirm to these challenges.
Medical superintendent of Naga Hospital, Dr. Neikhrielie Khimia-o, also addressed the gathering. The official highlighted the significance of the day and the life of Florence Nightingale who reformed the healthcare services worldwide. Acknowledging the importance of the service of nurses, he described them as the backbone of hospitals.
Earlier, marking the occasion, a lamp was lighted by the hospital’s Superintendent, Tepuhosule, while deputy director Nursing, Ch. Henia gave a brief introduction to the theme of the day.
Besides practicing, retired, and aspiring nurses, health officials including the authorities of Naga Hospital and doctors from Mumbai, who are currently in the state’s capital conducting health camp, attended the event.
