JEDDAH, 20 May 2004 — Florence Nightingale, the founder of nursing, was remembered when Jeddah National Hospital (JNH) celebrated World Nursing Day here recently. Ashok Kumar, manager of Air-India for the Western Province, opened the ceremony during which four nurses at the hospital were honored for outstanding services.
“Nursing is one of the oldest and most important professions known to mankind,” Kumar said. He commended nurses for the noble services they render to the community at large. He also mentioned the services of Indian nurses in Saudi Arabia and other parts of the world, saying they had honored the country’s name and enhanced its reputation. V.P. Muhammad Ali, managing director of the hospital, urged all nurses to follow the values and ideals for which Florence Nightingale stood.
In his remarks, Salahuddin Moftah, medical director, described nurses as the backbone of any hospital. Gladys Babu, the hospital’s chief nurse, spoke about the life and contributions of Nightingale (1820-1910) who dedicated her life to the care of the sick and wounded.
As a result of her experiences as a nurse, she wrote a manual, Notes for Nurses, and a set of instructions for the matron in charge of training nurses. She was the first woman to receive the Order of Merit from the British government.
