This year, 2020, is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, who is known as the founder of modern nursing.
Because of this, the World Health Assembly has chosen 2020 to be the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife.
Nurses and midwives play a vital role providing health services all around the world and are the backbone of every health system.
The World Health Organisation estimates that there are 20.7 million nurses and midwives worldwide yet more are still needed to meet the health needs of our global population.
In palliative care, nurses are an integral part of the clinical care team and typically spend more time with patients and families than any other health professionals. They are uniquely qualified to meet the physical, social, psychological and spiritual needs of patients, their families and carers.
During 2020 we can thank nurses and midwives for their caring, reflect on how important their role is to keeping our communities healthy, and advocate for better professional environments in which they can work.
Overseas, the environment in which nurses and midwives work can look very different to Australia’s. The WHO has plenty of stories from nurses and midwives from across the world available on their website.
Click here to find out more.