“Our Nurses. Our Future. Caring for Nurses Strengthens Economies”
Each year on May 12, the world celebrates International Nurses Day, marking the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, the pioneer of modern nursing. This year, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) unveils the powerful theme: “Our Nurses. Our Future. Caring for Nurses Strengthens Economies.”
Nurses play a vital role in the health care system, providing compassionate, patient centered care across various settings. They are the frontline professionals of health care. They practice in virtually all health care settings and communities across the country. Nurses offer skilled care to those recovering from illness or injury, advocate for patients’ rights, teach patients so that they can make informed decisions, support patients at critical times and guide them through the complex health care system.
Nurses are doing incredible work 24×7, they do far more than care for patients – they support public health systems, reduce healthcare costs, and, crucially, contribute to economic development. Ensuring their well-being is not just a professional obligation but an investment in a healthier, more prosperous future.
As the backbone of the healthcare system, nurses play vital role in delivering quality patient care, yet they often face significant issues and challenges. Shortage of staff, under wages, wage disparities, long working hours, work place violence and abuse and burnout, health and safety risk at work place, lack of opportunities to advance career and practice to full scope are a few among them. Despite these hardships, many nurses express a profound dedication to their calling, often saying, “we love our work, but hate our job”, highlighting the emotional disconnect between their passion for caregiving and the systemic issues that hinder their professional satisfaction.
It is time to value, protect and respect the nursing workforce. The policy makers and the leaders of health care system should address the need to improve the working conditions of nurses, ensure fair wages, protect them in workplace and from occupational hazards, ensure adequate nurse-patient-ratio, improve conditions causing burn out and to minimize the gap between workforce demand and supply. This will help to improve the health and well-being of nurses.
Nurses are the key to addressing the biggest global health challenges and keeping population healthy. Failing to value, protect, respect nurses while health demands are growing has pushed the world’s nursing workforce to breaking point and burnout. This crisis needs to be urgently addressed for the well-being of nurses.
Strengthening the nursing workforce is pivotal not only for enhancing healthcare outcomes but also for driving long -term economic growth. By investing in nursing education, leadership, and workforce development, nations can build a resilient health system capable of responding efficiently to public health crises, chronic disease management and aging populations. Empowered nurses improve patient outcomes, reduce hospital re-admissions, and lower health care cost through preventive care and health education. In the future, a strong nursing sector will be central to achieving universal health coverage and sustaining a healthier, more productive population- core drivers of economic stability and prosperity.
“Caring for Nurses is the path to thriving populations and economies.”
By Lissy Sudesh,
Tutor, School of Nursing,
Sri Vijaya Puram