The Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University on Thursday recognised the services of senior nurses and nursing teachers with certificates, including some for lifetime achievement, on International Nurses Day.
Prince of Arcot Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali presented the certificates at the function organised by the university, in which nurses from across the State and students from 130 nursing colleges participated. Speaking on the occasion, he said nurses were part of everyone's life “from the cradle to the grave. Nurses receive all of us in their arms when we are born. Nurses have the motto: service to humanity is service to God.”
Acknowledging their service, the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University Vice-Chancellor Mayil Vahanan Natarajan said that nurses were the “only source to inform us [doctors] of the patient's recovery or pain.”
He said the university would take steps to create a separate department of nursing, recognising it as a faculty. It would consider the concept of nurse practitioners, which is in vogue in Europe and would draw up guidelines for salary revision for the nurses.
The theme for this year's International Nurses Day is ‘Closing the gap: increasing access and equity'.
Registrar of Tamil Nadu Nurses and Midwives Council G. Josephine Little Flower said the theme was chosen with the aim of ensuring that healthcare is made accessible to all. Pointing out that the theme was conceived with the aim of achieving the Millennium Development Goal, she said the nurses had an important role to play in ensuring the health of the community.
She lauded the services of the community health nurses, who shouldered a large amount of work – from maintaining the health of the pregnant woman to ensuring that the children received nutritious food. Registrar Sudha Seshayyan spoke.
