New Delhi: The President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu bestowed the National Florence Nightingale Award for the years 2022 and 2023. Nursing professionals were rewarded during a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhawan. The prestigious awards were established by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India in 1973 to honor the exceptional contributions made by nurses and nursing professionals to society.
Auxiliary Nurses and Midwife (ANM), Lady Health Visitors (LHV), Nurses from all over India were conferred. The ceremony was attended by dignitaries, government officials, nursing professionals, and other stakeholders in the healthcare sectors. The award carried a cash prize of Rs. 50000.
Exemplary awardees include Anita Nakra and Major General Smita Devrani. Anita Nakra is working as Assistant Director Nursing at Delhi State Cancer Institute, GTB Hospital. He kept the cancer care center running even during Covid-19. While Major General Smita Devrani, VSM is currently Additional Director General Military Nursing Service at Army Headquarters Delhi. He took the initiative to introduce various innovations to streamline nursing services during COVID-19 and streamlined the vaccination drive in all AFMS hospitals.
The National Florence Nightingale Awards were instituted in the year 1973 by the Indian government. The primary objective of these awards is to acknowledge and appreciate the remarkable work of nurses across India.