AGARTALA, May 12 (TIWN): May 12th is observed as International Nurses Day. International Nurses Day is organised every year to celebrate Florence Nightingale’s birth anniversary. Like every year, this year also, the programme was observed in Tripura.

The theme for International Nurses Day 2020 is "Nursing the World to Health".

According to the official website of WHO, on the occasion of the International Day of the Nurse and the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, the organization has joined hundreds of partners worldwide to highlight the importance of nurses in the healthcare continuum and thank nurses for what they do. 

This year’s celebrations will be extra special because the World Health Organization (WHO) has designated 2020 as The Year of the Nurse and Midwife, to make the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale.

As per the WHO website, the COVID-19 pandemic is a stark reminder of the vital role nurses play. Without nurses and other health workers, we will not win the battle against outbreaks, we will not achieve the Sustainable Development Goals or universal health coverage.

In 1953 Dorothy Sutherland, an official with the US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, proposed that President Dwight D Eisenhower proclaim a "Nurses' Day"; but the request was turned down. 

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) - on its part - has celebrated this day since 1965. 

In January 1974, 12 May was chosen to celebrate the day as it is the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.