A lady with a lamp I see
Pass through the glimmering of gloom
And flit from room to room."
~ Santa Filomena , poem written by Henry Wodsworth Longfellow.
On the 200th Birth Anniversary of Florence Nightingale, famously addressed as the "Lady with the Lamp", International Nurses Day is commemorated on 12th May every year. This is a tribute to the entire nursing fraternity in the healthcare sector. In most of the countries, women largely account for the front-line healthcare workers as nurses and midwives. In India, Kerala state is known for producing the highest number of professional nurses for the country and even abroad. By definition, Nursing encompasses autonomous and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups and communities, sick or well and in all settings. Nursing includes the promotion of health, prevention of illness, and the care of ill, disabled and dying people.
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| (Source: Mathurabhumi.com) |
According to WHO Newsroom, Nurses comprise upto 50% of the healthcare staff all over the world. Nursing is a very integral part of the healthcare system to function smoothly. It would be nearly impossible to imagine the healthcare system functionality without the help of midwives and nurses. Nursing is a professional degree which seeks a formal nursing education from the respective institutes and therefore has to be certified from a competent regulatory authority to practice the services in the country.
Who is a Nurse? Who is Midwife?
A Nurse is a licensed health-care professional who practices independently or is supervised by a physician, surgeon, or dentist and who is skilled in promoting and maintaining health.
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| (Source: Medium) |
Whereas a Midwife is a person, usually a woman, who is trained to assist women in childbirth but who is not a physician.
Story of 'Lady with the Lamp'
In the mid 19th Century a military conflict was waged in the year on 16th October 1853 between Russia Empire and Treaty of Paris, allied countries (Ottoman Empire, France, United Kingdom and Sardinia), in which Russia Empire lost the war in the year 1856. It was called Crimean War wherein the major cause of the war was to gain control of access of religious sites in the Holy Land, in Ottoman Empire. There was a stifling tension between the Russian Orthodox and France Catholics for a number of years which snowball into a riot in the year 1853. During this time the death rates in Britain and neighboring countries increased multiple times. Nightingale wrote pleas to the Britain Government to provide hospitals and improve medical facilities for the soldiers; also worked on basic on-field facilities for the soldiers and healthcare workers. She believed that the deaths occurred not only due to the injuries caused in the war-field but also due to poor sanitary conditions, lack of nutrition, stale air, overworking of soldiers, acute diseases like typhoid, cholera, dysentery, etc. She had a strong conviction that mandated the improvement of primitive healthcare facilities and training of more human resources for the nursing the wounded. The implementation of basic steps like handwashing and other hygiene practices in the prefabricated war-zone hospitals established by the Britain Government had a drop in the death rates. Stephen Paget, English Surgeon in the 'Dictionary of National Biography' asserted that Nightingale reduced the death rate from 42% to 2%, either by making improvements in hygiene practices, or by calling for the Sanitary Commission.
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| (Source: Bing) |
Florence Nightingale was given the title "Lady with the Lamp" by the wounded soldiers who battled pain, adversity and life in the in the war-zoned hospitals. It is said that Nightingale with a lamp in her hand would go on rounds in the medical wards, late in the night after all the healthcare practitioners and doctors are off duty, to keep a check on the well-being of the injured patients. This caressing, kind, humbled and humanitarian nature of Nightingale made soldiers address her with that title. Calling her so, they conveyed their regards and gratitude to the Lady.
Relevance in 2020 Pandemic Crisis
As the Global Health Crisis emerged in December 2019 due to the outbreak of Coronavirus across the countries, the healthcare and medical fraternity became the front-line workers to battle the acute SARS-CoV-2 to protect the human race. Deaths have been recorded in lakhs till date globally out of which several doctors and nurses have lost their lives serving the diseased. Amidst such huge health crisis services rendered by nurses are in exponential demand.
Nightingale's vision was intersectoral, interdisciplinary and global - accounting interests in health literacy, public health, advancement of medicine, hygiene, epidemiology, statistics, military health, physical and psychological environment of the hospitals and home. She has a deep scientific understanding of not only hygiene but also health, healing and details of care that ameliorated comfort as well as nourishment of the human spirit. We see her vision being manifested today globally by collaborative and cooperative effort of International regulatory bodies, governments, civil society, medical & healthcare practitioners, techno-savvy institutions, research and development wing, defense and paramilitary services, etc. Nursing has become a vital part. I urge all the readers to kindly respect the nurses and healthcare practitioners for the service they render, It is not an ordinary work or job. It is beyond the professional commitments and much closer to a humanitarian approach.
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| (Source: The Economic Times) |
With all due respect to gender equity, another interesting observation made by Upasana Kamineni, Vice Chairperson of Apollo Life, in an old interview said that women are mostly into the ground level healthcare facilitation and nursing because, women inherently are the "Epitome of Care". It is the minimalistic duty of every citizen to respect them for the same and eradicate the stigma, burst the myths and nullify discrimination/indifference around nursing as profession. The theme for this year is "Nursing the World to Health". International Council of Nurses (INC), WHO encouraged people to take part in a moment of reflection to honour the memory of nurses and health workers who have tragically died during the COVID-19 pandemic. The social media posts highlighted stating the hashtags, #RememberHealthHeroes.
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| (Source: WHO) |
I truly believe there is a glimpse of Florence Nightingale in every nurse and healthcare worker who is working, who scarified their lives and fostered well-being to thousands of wounded, diseased patients till the last breath.
All Hail the Health Heroes!
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