Union home minister Amit Shah lauds nurses on International Nurses Day

Hyderabad: Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday lauded nurses on International Nurses Day, saying their hard work and selfless dedication form the foundation of the country's healthcare system.

The International Nurses Day is celebrated on May 12, the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale.

In the city, several hospitals and groups recognised the work of nurses. Deccan Chronicle spoke to many nurses.

Her father encouraged Katta Leona Justine to take up nursing. "I slowly learnt how, in this profession, you never stop giving. The profession challenges throughout, not just physically and emotionally but also to keep up with the current medical trends and training. It brings me great joy to learn of ways to provide the best care to patients," Justine said,

Pranuti Kirti M. took up nursing only she didn't get into MBBS and didn't enjoy agriculture. BSc Nursing was her other choice. "Little did I know it would change not just my mind but my life. The profession humbled me at first but later taught me life's biggest values through the things I see day in and out.

Today, what I am as a mother is purely what the profession taught me, but mostly to be a better human. Sometimes I'm put off by how our dedication to the profession goes unnoticed, and then I see the lives that my presence can touch. I wouldn't trade that for anything," she told Deccan Chronicle.

K. Sree Devi, a retired nursing superintendent was taught to look at nursing as a service and never a 'sector'. "I had to choose between teaching and nursing and I'm glad I chose the latter. It was nothing less than a true calling in my life. It gave me immense confidence and purpose at every posting I was positioned in,” she said.

“I consider it a privilege to have given personal care, fed people and am with people with burns, mobility issues and mental health illnesses. I managed a 700-bed hospital along with a wonderful team," Sree Devi, a single mother, recalled.

Of the many challenges nurses face on a daily basis, many spoke about their dormant salary hikes, recognition and insufficient labour leading to stressful work hours. "For many of us, having to work two shifts back to back is sometimes the norm. More of us need to be hired. And maybe, more men can be employed, as I'm personally a witness to a well-qualified man being denied the job because of his gender," said Ammu Kantha, a nurse.