A nurse working in the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura for the last two decades has brought home laurels by winning the prestigious Florence Nightingale award.
Firdousa Jan, a resident of the Chaar-e-Shareef area of Budgam, presently in Bagh-e-Mehtab, Srinagar, received the award in Delhi on Thursday.
Talking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) over the phone, Firdousa said she is very happy to receive the award. “It shows that your works are being recognized,” she said.
She is pursuing Ph.D. and has been deputed as a tutor for a period of one year in the College of Nursing at SKIMS Soura. She has got the award for her extraordinary work during Covid-19, post-Covid-19 work in the slum areas and for the unprivileged section of society and awareness regarding the ill effects of drugs and mental health issues.
“I have organized awareness programs in educational institutions to sensitize youth of drug addiction and also the mental stress management programs, as in Kashmir, the cases of psychiatric disorders are on the rise due to stress,” Firdousa said, adding, “Right now, I am focusing on my Ph.D. My research papers have been published in various publications.”
In her message to nurses, Firdousa Jan said they need to be compassionate about their work and focus on quality patient care. “It is not only about giving an injection to a patient but the nurses need to carry out evidence-based nursing care,” she said.
Firdousa said nurses need to be skillful and continuously enhance knowledge through education so as to provide quality care as there is no boundary of caring. She advised them to mobilize all resources to serve society in a better way.
The President of India Droupadi Murmu presented the National Florence Nightingale Awards for the years 2022 and 2023 to the Nursing professionals at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday.
The National Florence Nightingale Award was instituted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India in the year 1973 as a mark of recognition for the meritorious services rendered by the nurses and nursing professionals to society—(KNO)