World Nurse Day

Background of World Nurse day
Today, the world is celebrating International Nurses' Day on the occasion of the birth of the great Florence Nightingale, a nurse who made an unprecedented contribution to modern medicine, that is, the beginning of the professional health care and added a new height to care and cure. Florence is also known as A Lady with a Lamp, meaning a woman carrying a tuki or lantern.

During the Crimean War in Europe at that time, the soldiers who were working day and night to treat the wounded soldiers called her Lady with a Lamp with respect. Florence Nightingale, the world's first nurse to reach out to patients at night, has also set up the world's first private nursing school at Thomas Hospital in London, UK, which is still operating a non-profit organization.

Florence has brought the modern nursing profession as a deep service concept in keeping the hospital clean and respecting the feelings and verdicts of the patients. The world celebrates Nurses' Day on May 12 each year, discussing Florence's contribution. The nursing profession has been held in high esteem by people all over the world for the past century. Nurses wearing white coats, ribbons on their hair, medicines, and health care providers with smiles. The nurse reminds me of the hospital and the main thing is health care and loving care, doesn't it?

While the world is discussing Florence's contribution, let's get down to business, isn't it, in Nepal's nursing history?

A Brief History of Nursing in Nepal
We can't imagine a hospital without a nurse. After the establishment of Bir Hospital in 1947AD, there were only a few compounders as health assistants and only a handful of people trained in India. During that time at Bir hospital, dressings and other treatments were done by the compounder or the doctor themselves. The Nepali history of nursing seems to have started in 2013 BS when Nepali students, including some housewives, were formally trained as nurses.

It is believed that the beginning of nursing in Nepal was due to the importance of health care and nursing in the aristocratic family during the Rana regime. During the Rana period, four Nepali women, Bidhavati Kansakar, Radha Devi Malakar, Dharmadevi Kansakar, and Bishnu Devi Rai, have a history of training as health assistants from Allahabad, India. After that, the trend of Nepali women going to India for 4 years and 9 months long nursing courses has gradually increased. Today, the presence of nurses in hospitals and clinics across the street can be seen in large numbers. Numerous nursing colleges have opened in cities and it is becoming more and easier to go abroad, so the attraction towards nursing is increasing. The amazing thing about nursing is that there are only a handful of men in this profession, some time ago, some nursing colleges also provided nursing training to men, but later men were not attracted to this profession. Perhaps the sweet presence of women in this business of love, affection, and care seems to be the best. The Florence Nightingale Medal is considered to be the highest degree in the nursing profession, meaning that the Florence Nightingale is a source of inspiration for every nurse.

A poem on Florence written by a soldier
Florence is not only a philanthropist but also a prolific writer, whose books on medical treatment are so simple in English language and illustrations that anyone can easily understand. A wounded soldier in the Crimean War wrote a poem about Florence, presenting that poem, before hitting the whip of special material on this day, just here:

Lo! in that house of misery
A lady with a lamp I see
Pass through the glimmering gloom,
And flit from room to room

Suyog Dhakal