NATIONAL FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE AWARDS (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 – Awards)

Context: The President of India presented the National Florence Nightingale Awards for the year 2024 to the Nursing professionals at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

National Florence Nightingale Awards

• About: The award given to Devrani sisters from Kotdwar district of Uttarakhand is an appropriate honour for their remarkable contribution and service for nearly four decades.
• Instituted by: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the year 1973.
• Purpose of the Award: As a mark of recognition for the meritorious services rendered by the nurses and nursing professionals to the society.
• Price: The award consists of a Cash Award of Rs. 50,000/-, a certificate, and a medal.
• Selection Process: The selection process is rigorous, involving nominations from various healthcare institutions, which are then evaluated by esteemed healthcare professionals.
• Significance: It is known that the National Florence Nightingale Award, instituted by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare in 1973, is given to nurses and nursing professionals in recognition of their meritorious services rendered to the society.

Florence Nightingale

• About: She was a British nurse, statistician, and social reformer who was the foundational philosopher of modern nursing.
• Contribution: Nightingale was put in charge of nursing British and allied soldiers in Turkey during the Crimean War.
• Legacy of Nightingale: She spent many hours in the wards, and her night rounds giving personal care to the wounded established her image as the “Lady with the Lamp.”
• Nursing Education Reform: Her efforts to formalize nursing education led her to establish the first scientifically based nursing school—the Nightingale School of Nursing, in London.