International Nurses Day is an international day observed around the world on 12 May each year, which is the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. This day is celebrated to mark the contributions that nurses make to society. Nurses are the backbone of the healthcare sector and a doctor’s most trusted ally because they spend more time with the patients.
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) announced the 2024 International Nurses Day theme as Our Nurses. Our Future.
According to the ICN President, Dr Pamela Cipriano the 2024 theme sets out what ICN wants for Nursing in the future in order to address the global health challenges and improve global health for all. “We need to learn from the lessons of the pandemic and translate these into actions for the future that ensure nurses are protected, respected and valued”, said Dr Cipriano.
The Our Nurses. Our Future. campaign will shine the light on Nurses and on a brighter future, moving Nurses from invisible to invaluable in the eyes of policy makers, the public, and all those who make decisions affecting the delivery and financing of health care.
As well as learning lessons to support Nurses, the campaign will also look at how we must strengthen our health systems to address growing global health demands. It will capture key actions that ICN believes are essential to address both the profession and health systems and which are, of course, mutually beneficial and reinforcing.
Together our future depends on every Nurse, every voice, to not only be on the frontlines of care, but also be on the frontlines of change.”