Acknowledging the contributions and commitments of the nurses, who are currently at the frontline of the fight against the novel Coronavirus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended his greetings to the community on International Nurses Day.

Taking to Twitter, PM Modi wrote, “International Day of the Nurse is a special day to express gratitude to the phenomenal nurses working round the clock to keep our planet healthy”.

“Presently, they are doing great work towards defeating COVID-19. We are extremely grateful to the nurses and their families,” he added.

Besides the Prime Minister, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and former Congress Chief Rahul Gandhi also hailed the role of the nurses on the occasion of the International Nurses Day and called them “unsung heroes” fighting the COVID-19 pandemic as the first line of defence.

“On International Nurses Day, I express my gratitude towards all the nurses serving humanity across the world. Nurses are the backbone of our medical sector. Their role in containing the spread of COVID-19 is truly remarkable. India salutes our nurses for their tireless efforts,” Amit Shah tweeted.

Rahul Gandhi also praised the efforts of nurses saying they are “unsung heroes” and they are working tirelessly amid the COVID-19 pandemic crisis to help save lives.

“Across India our nurses are working tirelessly, around the clock, to help save lives. They are our unsung heroes, our first line of defence against the COVID-19 virus. On International Nurses Day I thank and salute each and every one of them for their hard work and dedication,” the Congress MP from Kerala’s Wayanad said in a tweet.

A day ahead, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday paid tributes to nurses and all health professionals.

“Happy International Nurses Day for tomorrow! And of course we should pay tribute to our nurses and all health professionals every single day, but at the same time, tomorrow is a very, very important day and we have to celebrate our nurses,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a press conference in Geneva.

“As you know, during the COVID-19, they’re in the front line and they’re risking their lives to save others, but not only during COVID-19,” he said, adding that “nurses are a bridge between the health system and the community and they have been doing so ever since the nursing profession actually started.”

“So… our greatest respect and appreciation from WHO to all nurses,” said the WHO chief.

Tedros said that due to the ongoing pandemic and also the consensus from the nursing associations and the midwives’ associations, the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife 2020 would be postponed to 2021. Further more, he said the consensus was to have “the 2020 as the Decade of the Nurse and the Midwife.”

“The celebration is not just a celebration for the sake of celebration. It’s not just to pay tribute to them; it’s also to recognize their important role in achieving universal health coverage and to use nurses, midwives and other frontline health workers to achieve universal health coverage,” he noted.

According to the WHO, the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife shall symbolize a year-long effort to celebrate the work of nurses and midwives, highlight the challenging conditions they often face, and advocate for increased investments in the nursing and midwifery workforce.

The International Nurses Day is celebrated on May 12 every year. The theme for this year is Nurses: A Voice to Lead — Nursing the World to Health.

(With inputs from IANS)