New Delhi, Sep 11
President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday conferred National Florence Nightingale Awards on 15 nursing professionals at a function held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in recognition of their outstanding commitment to duty and service to people.
Apart from President Murmu, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda, Union Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel, and several other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
Congratulating the awardees, J.P. Nadda said the award will inspire the nurses to continue pushing their limits in the service of people, adding that "nurses are the backbones of the healthcare sector".
In a post on X, Nadda said: "Heartfelt thanks to President Droupadi Murmu Ji for presenting the National Florence Nightingale Awards 2024 to the dedicated nursing professionals for their selfless service to the nation. Congratulations to all the awardees. This accolade will inspire you to continue pushing the boundaries in public service. Your tireless efforts play a crucial role in saving countless lives. Our Nurses truly are the backbones of our healthcare sector. Thank you for your invaluable contributions."
The National Florence Nightingale Award was instituted by the Union Health Ministry in 1973 as a mark of recognition for the meritorious services rendered by nurses and nursing professionals to the society.
A total of 15 awards are given in the categories of Registered Auxiliary Nurses & Midwife, Registered Nurses and Midwife, and Registered Lady Visitor.
The award is given to outstanding nursing professionals employed in Central, state/UTs and voluntary organisations.
Each award consists of a certificate of merit, a cash award of Rs 1,00,000, and a medal.
The government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken several initiatives to strengthen nursing and midwifery education. The major initiatives include the establishment of 157 colleges of nursing in co-location with the medical colleges, and the constitution of the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission to revamp nursing education in the entire country, among others.
The nurses who were awarded on Wednesday are as under:
Sheela Mondal (Andaman & Nicobar Islands), Iken Lollen (Arunachal Pradesh), Vidjeyacoumary V (Puducherry), Januka Pandey (Sikkim), Anindita Pramanik (West Bengal), Brahmacharimayum Amusana Devi (Manipur), Major Gen Ignatius Delos Flora (Delhi), Prem Rose Suri (Delhi), Tabasum Irshad Handoo (Jammu and Kashmir), Nagarajaiah (Karnataka), Shamshad Beegum A (Lakshadweep), Asha Womanrao Bawane (Maharashtra), H Mankimi (Mizoram), Sanjunta Sethi (Odisha), and Radhey Lal Sharma (Rajasthan).