Amongst the most respected of all of the professions, nurses are indeed a very noble profession. There would only be a few people whose lives have not been touched by the care and reassurance of nurses at some point of time or the other. Nurses are reaching new levels of competency as the demands for more complex nursing care are rising. There is now an impressive quantum of highly skilled nurse practitioners in the country.

Under the theme “Nurses: A voice to lead – Health for All”, the International Nurses Week 2019 was celebrated at the Jubilee Hall Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Lamphelpat, Imphal on Thursday the 16th May. The celebration was organised by the Trained Nurses Association of India, Manipur Branch in memory of the pioneer and founder of Modern Nurses, Florence Nightingale.The Trained Nurses Association of India (TNAI) is a national organisation of nursing professionals, which was established as long, back as 1980 and was recognised by the Government of India as a service organisation since 1950.

Dr. Najma  Heptullah, theGovernor of Manipur who was the e chief guest of the function said she felt very proud of the fact that nurses of Manipur are very popular for their mild mannered behavior and skill.

“In order to progress, it is imperative for a society to remain healthy and in this context, the nurses play an indispensable role in the healthcare system,” said the lady Governor.

She added that this year’s theme truly reflects the intrinsic character of the service rendered by the nurses. “Serving the sick and the old calls for a good measure of commitment and sacrifice. Florence Nightingale was the embodiment of selfless service and sacrifice. Her picture with a lamp was the hope for the sick and wounded and she was fondly known as ‘the lady with the lamp’. It is the future of nursing as a profession – not its past – that makes me confident about the young women and men of our country pursuing their nursing education today,” said the Governor.

Manipuri nurses are very much in demand in other states and even abroad in South East Asian countries like Myanmar and even Japan. 
Currently a Japanese delegate is camping in the state scouting for interested youths of Manipur in nursing careers in Japan. The recruited youth will be given training on Japanese language and culture, the Japanese delegate said.